Pandemonium Arises
by shelly.hoffer.7
Summary: Part 3 in the Hotch/Kahlan line. Hotch and the BAU take on a new case. When things start to escalate, they realize that they are actually dealing with a group of terrorists hell bent on destroying peace. When things start hitting close to home, Hotch and Kahlan have to face some of their worst fears. Will they be able to solve the case before someone they love dies?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It's been six months since the whole Mordecai incident, as they've taking to calling it, and Kahlan was actually enjoying her new job. Hotch didn't like the fact that she came home bruised up now and then, but she assured him that it was nothing. Everything had been going well for their whole extended family.

They had enrolled Joey in a private school for gifted children since Joey could already read, and while she was learning at an amazing rate, her teachers often worried that Joey knew too much for her own good. Kahlan had to hide a smile when the head teacher called her in for a meeting and explained that Joey had taught all of the kids how to pick the lock on the snack cabinet. While Kahlan thought that was hilarious, she turned the tides on the teacher and asked where the teacher was when all of that was happening. The teacher adamantly told her that Joey had accomplished it right under their noses. Kahlan told the teacher that she would have a talk with her daughter and assured the teacher that Joey would not be a problem in the future.

Sean and his wife Catherine, or Cat as everyone called her, had a beautiful baby boy they named Terrence Michael. They had even spent Christmas with Hotch and his family. When Cat saw Kahlan looking at Mikey lovingly, she asked her if there were any more plans for another child in their life. Kahlan laughed. "No. I think Aaron and I are past the diaper phase, but it is nice having all of you guys around to help me get my baby fix."

JJ was on desk duty because she was getting very close to her due date, and she had surprised everyone when she announced that the doctor had found two little hearts instead of just one. Will almost fainted when he heard the news. Eventually, they found out they were going to have one boy and one girl. Joey was ecstatic; to find out she was going to have two little cousins living so close to her was 'awesome.'

Cameron had surprised everyone at the New Year's Eve party at Dave's house when he proposed to Garcia. She accepted and they were married on Valentine's Day. JJ, Kahlan, and Mack all noticed Garcia looking at baby clothes on one of their 'Girls Night Outs' and Kahlan wasn't sure if she was thinking about JJ's new ones or maybe a future of her own.

Mack had settled into the BAU family nicely. It took her about a month, but she eventually stopped being so afraid of Hotch. Seeing him outside of work and actually smiling and having a good time, made her finally believe that he was actually human. The whole team loved her and she meshed with them and made them even stronger than they were with Blake. Morgan said it was because she reminded them of a younger version of Emily, and they all agreed. The green eyed, dark auburn haired young woman brought a renewed vigor to the team.

Chuck had become Kahlan's assistant, and he and Vinnie had actually moved in together. When they announced they were going to have a baby, Hotch jumped on Chuck about making Vinnie an honest woman. "You better marry her," Hotch told him seriously. "That baby needs to have a real family."

"Damn, Hotch. We don't live in the eighteenth century," Chuck told him with a smile. Everyone knew how old fashion Hotch was.

"I don't care. You need to man up and take care of your responsibilities. Think of the example you're setting for the boys."

Chuck sighed. "Ok, but I don't know if she'll accept."

"You won't know unless you ask."

"Alright, Damn. Calm down."

Three weeks after Garcia's and Cam's wedding, Chuck announced that Vinnie had accepted.

XXX

Everyone was getting along great; in the beginning, the only relationship Kahlan was really worried about was Dave's. Kahlan wasn't sure how she felt about Dave being with her mother. She loved Dave, but thinking about him in the spot her father used to fill was a little awkward. No man could ever compare to her Daddy, and she was having a hard time dealing with it. "Kahlan, you know Dave would never want to hurt you," Hotch told her one night.

"I know."

"And yet, you really have a problem with him being with your mom?" Hotch asked her.

She could hear the surprise in his voice. "You may have a daughter and understand that bond from your prospective, but don't try to say you understand it from Joey's perspective."

Hotch sighed. "I know no one can replace your father, Kahlan. Dave is not trying to do that, he's just trying to make your mom happy and be happy himself. He will break it off if you can't handle it, though."

She studied his face. "He said that?"

Hotch nodded. "He never wanted to hurt you. He thought with as much as you liked him that it wouldn't be a problem. He can tell you don't like it, though."

She sighed. "It's not that I don't like it. . ." She shook her head. "I just. . ."

Hotch pulled her into a hug. "You what?"

She took a deep breath and smiled up at him. "If anyone can come close to Dad, it's Dave. I will talk to him and let him know he has my blessing."

He smiled and pulled her to him more closely. "I told him you'd be fine with it."

She chuckled. "You know me better than I know myself sometimes."

Within a month, Dave and Cindi were spending a lot of dinners at Hotch and Kahlan's, and within three months, the boys had started calling Dave, Grandpa. Kahlan actually saw Dave tear up the first time Wyatt called him that. Rossi joined Kahlan in the kitchen as she cleaned up after dinner. "It's ok that Wyatt called me that, right?"

Kahlan smiled. "Well, it did sound kind of weird when they said 'Hi Grandma and Uncle Dave'." Rossi smiled. She pulled him into a hug. "They couldn't ask for a better Grandpa. You know they have always considered you like that anyway."

"Yeah, but it's nice to actually hear it. Kind of makes an old man's heart melt."

"You're not old!"

XXX

On Father's Day, Hotch awoke to breakfast in bed. Hotch could tell by the amount of powdered sugar on the French toast, that Joey had made that part of the breakfast. All three of the kids kept giving Hotch weird little looks and Hotch could tell something was up, but he had no idea what. They let him enjoy his breakfast, but as soon as he was done, they were pulling him out of bed and down the stairs. Joey quickly gave him the card she had made, then Jack gave him a card he had bought. Once he was done with those, Wyatt stepped up to him. "I didn't get you a card, but I got something for you to sign," Wyatt told him as he sat a file folder down in front of Hotch. Hotch looked at Kahlan questioningly. She just smiled.

Hotch picked up the folder and opened it slowly. His eyes grew wider as he read the document. He looked up at Wyatt quickly. His eyes had filled with tears. "Is this what you really want?"

Wyatt smiled widely. "It's about time, don't you think?" His eyes teared up, too. "Unless, you don't want to sign it."

Hotch jumped up and pulled him into a hug. "Of course I'll sign it. I already consider you my son, and having you take my name. . ." Hotch took a deep breath. "I couldn't ask for a better Father's Day present, Wyatt." He let go of Wyatt and pulled Kahlan into a hug. The kids smiled and went outside to let their parents be alone. "I never really thought you'd actually let me adopt him. You are an amazing woman Kahlan Hotchner."

Kahlan smiled. "He wanted to have your last name. They're tired of having to explain how they are brothers and yet have different last names. They are going into middle school this year, and I guess they didn't want to leave any room for doubt."

Hotch looked at her seriously. "You don't think Collin would mind?" Hotch knew Wyatt didn't remember his father at all because he lost him when he was two, but a man's name is a powerful thing.

Kahlan smiled again. "I think Collin would be honored to know that such a great man is raising his son."

Hotch smiled and pulled her into a kiss. When he pulled back for air he smiled again. "Thank you."

"Thank you for always loving him as if he is your own."

Hotch chuckled. "That'll look nice on their football jerseys."

XXX

As soon as Hotch made it into work the next morning, he went to Dave's office to tell him the news. Rossi looked up and smiled when he saw Hotch's smile. "What?" Rossi asked.

"Do you know what Wyatt and Kahlan did for me for Father's Day?"

"No, but apparently it was nice."

Hotch sat down in one of the chairs in Rossi's office. "Wyatt handed me adoption papers."

Rossi sat up straighter. "That's great!"

Hotch chuckled. "Yeah. Kahlan's going to file it today. He will officially be a Hotchner before school starts."

Rossi smiled widely for him. He could just imagine how proud Hotch must have felt.

Garcia stuck her head in the door. She noticed their smiles and had to smile herself. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have a case."

They both stood up and Rossi patted Hotch on the back on their way to the conference room. Within an hour, the BAU team was on their way to Kansas to deal with a serial rapist. As soon as they were landed and at the local police station, breaking news was on all of the local stations. They didn't pay any attention to it as they started going over the details of the case with the local detectives. Rossi stepped out of the conference room to call Garcia to run down a few names, but his breath hitched in his chest as he heard what was playing out on the screen. He watched in horror as the reporter talked about several courthouses in Virginia that had come under fire as several shooters were reported to have killed and wounded several people at each location. He dropped the phone in his hand as the scene showed the courthouse in Manassas. Living in Prince William County, Kahlan would have had to had gone to that courthouse to file the adoption papers. He looked at Hotch through the glass of the conference room. Hotch looked up just in time to see Rossi's face. His chest tightened as he made his way out of the conference room and went to his unofficial father. "What?" Hotch asked desperately.

Rossi pointed to the closest tv. "The Courthouse. . ."

Hotch turned to the tv and his heart sank as he watched the broadcast. He took out his phone as everyone else on the team joined them and also watched the scene unfold. "What's going on?" Morgan asked quickly, knowing it was more than just the shootings that had the two men so upset.

"Kahlan was supposed to go to the Prince William Courthouse," Rossi told them.

"Damn it!" Hotch yelled as he turned back to them, and they all knew he hadn't gotten ahold of his wife

"She may not have been there, Hotch," Mack tried to sound reassuring.

Hotch nodded and almost dropped his phone as it went off. He looked at it quickly, hoping it was Kahlan. His chest tightened a little more to see Section Chief Paxton on his caller ID. "Hotchner," he answered quickly.

"Yes, Sir. We're actually watching it right now. Yes sir. If you'll. . . Yes, Sir." Hotch ended the call to everyone giving him questioningly looks. "Chief Paxton wants us home. He's sending out another team. Apparently, the courthouses are just the beginning." Hotch shot Rossi a look.

If they had heard from whoever was responsible, and they were claiming more targets, then they both knew what type of unsubs they were dealing with. Rossi took a deep breath.

"Terrorists?" Mack asked as she considered the information.

"Yep," Morgan told her as he clenched his teeth. He had dealt with enough terrorists in his career, and he hated them.

"I need to tell the locals," Hotch told them as he turned to go. "Wheels up in thirty."

They all watched him leave. They all knew he was worried about Kahlan, but they all knew he was professional enough to take care of things while he was worried.

Morgan took out his phone. "Hey, Baby Girl."

"Oh my God, Derek. Have you. . ."

"Yeah, we know. Kahlan was supposed to go to the Courthouse in Manassas." He heard her suck in her breath. "And Hotch can't get ahold of her. Check traffic cams, track her GPS, whatever you can. . ."

"I will find her," Garcia told him seriously, and he could hear her pounding on her keyboard.

"Paxton wants us back home. We should be back in a few hours."

"I will call him as soon as I know something. Tell him. . . tell him. . ."

"I will, Mama."

Morgan ended the call and Rossi gave him a small smile. If anyone could find out if Kahlan was indeed at the courthouse, it was Garcia.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Hotch silently sat in his seat on the jet. The whole team knew how worried he was. The laptop came alive and JJ was in Garcia's lair with her. "Kahlan's car is at the courthouse," JJ told Hotch. Rossi noticed Hotch wince ever so slightly. "We can't get through to any of the responders yet, but Will is in route to check on things personally."

"Thanks, JJ. What do we know of the unsubs?" Hotch asked her.

"I don't think anyone really knows anything yet. Everything is still too chaotic, but as soon as information starts to roll in, you'll have it."

Hotch's phone vibrated. He took it out and his breath hitched in his chest when he saw it was his wife. "It's her," he said quickly and the answered. "Are you alright?" Hotch asked Kahlan quickly as soon as the call connected.

"You know, huh? Yes, Aaron. I'm fine."

"Thank God!" Hotch exclaimed and everyone knew she was fine.

"I was just stepping out when the first shot rang out. Do you have the details?"

"No, but Paxton has recalled us. We are in route now."

"Why are you all handling a courthouse shooting?"

"Five courthouses were hit at the same time."

"What?!"

"Yeah. Apparently it's already been claimed, but we don't have any specifics yet."

Kahlan was silent, but Hotch could hear her moving through the street. "Terrorists! God damn it!"

"That's what we're thinking."

"There were three shooters here."

"Jesus Christ!"

"And they had automatic weapons."

"So they are armed and organized. Did you get a look at one?"

She huffed. "Homegrown."

"No!"

"Sorry, Hun."

"That'll make them harder to find."

"Yep. I'll call you back," she told him quickly and ended the call.

"What?" Rossi asked as soon as Hotch took his phone away from his ear.

"Kahlan saw one of the shooters."

"One of them?" Mack asked quickly.

"She said there were three and he was an American. They had automatic weapons." Hotch noticed looks of anger and concern on his teams' faces.

"We should have some more information by the time you all get here," Garcia told them. Since Kahlan was alright, she was focusing her efforts on searching the cameras around the courthouses for footage on the shootings.

Hotch phone went off again. "Yeah, Babe?"

"I think I found you a calling card."

"What? Where? Don't. . ."

"Jesus, Aaron, I'm not some inept local cop. No offence Will."

Hotch heard Will laugh in the back ground. His phone vibrated and he quickly looked at a picture of a little card with a symbol on it. He winced; he should have known Kahlan knew better than to touch it before it could get processed. "Sorry, Babe." Garcia suddenly received the same image and displayed it on the computer screen for the team to see it. It was a red semicircle with a piece that came up out of the center of it. Hotch put his phone on speaker. "I got you on speaker," Hotch told Kahlan, and he realized Garcia had connected to the call, too.

"That symbol look familiar, Reid?" Kahlan asked.

"I thought that's what it was," he told her.

"That's from Star Wars," Mack told them, and they could hear Kahlan's laughter.

"You know, Mack, I like you more every day," Kahlan told her. Hotch saw Mack smile.

"Well, why don't you all let us normal people in on it?" Rossi asked impatiently.

"That's the Alliance Starbird; the symbol for the Rebellion," Reid started.

"The good guys, you know, like Han and Luke and them," Kahlan added.

"They were rebelling against the Galactic Empire and their control over everything," Mack finished.

"So we have a bunch of Trekkies playing terrorist and shooting up a bunch of courthouses?" Morgan asked flabbergasted. They could all hear Kahlan suck in her breath and it matched the looks on Garcia's, Reid's, and Mack's faces. "What?"

"Derek, the next time I see you, I am going to hit you!" Kahlan told him. Hotch shot Rossi a look; they could all hear the anger in her voice.

"Why? What'd I say?" Morgan asked quickly.

"Never call a Star Wars fan a Trekkie. That's like a slap in the face!" Mack told him.

"My poor Chocolate Thunder. You are so dead!" Garcia told him as she shook her head in sympathy.

"Trekkies like Star Trek, Morgan, not Star Wars. You can start a war by saying something like that," Reid explained.

"I didn't know!" Morgan tried to plead his case.

"And if our unsubs are even a quarter as touchy as these guys are, you could have gotten yourself shot," Rossi pointed out.

"He still might!" Came Kahlan's voice.

Hotch chuckled. "Well, if we can leave geek central and get back to the case at hand. . ."

"You better watch it, Aaron. I know where you sleep," Kahlan told him and everyone laughed.

Hotch shook his head.

"So they are rebelling against the judicial system?" JJ mused to try to bring the discussion back to the case at hand.

"And if they think they're the good guys. . ." Rossi started.

"Then, they'll think you all are the bad guys," Kahlan finished for him, and Hotch could hear the concern in her voice.

"We're starting to get reports in from the scenes. We'll have it all complied by the time you all get here," JJ told them.

"I want to split up and head to each of the scenes," Hotch started. "Morgan and Reid, I want you all to go to Alexandria and Arlington. Rossi and Mack, you two go to Stafford and Leesburg. I'll go to Manassas and meet up with Kahlan and Will."

They all nodded.

"I'll see you then," Kahlan told him and ended the call.

JJ looked at Hotch. "Hotch."

Hotch looked at her quickly because of her tone. "What?"

"Will texted me. Kahlan lied about being fine."

"What?"

JJ licked her lips. "He thinks she's been shot."

"She sounded fine. . ." Hotch started, but then shook his head angrily. "That's why she had to let me go."

JJ shrugged. "I don't know, but Will wanted me to tell you. He thinks she was shot in the side, and from witness accounts he's heard, it's because she was helping to get them under cover."

Hotch let a breath out through his nose. "I'm going to kill her." He shook his head again. "Tell Will to try and get her looked at, and tell him thanks, please." He didn't think it could have been that bad because he hadn't felt anything, but it still bothered him that she'd lied about being hurt.

JJ gave him a small smile. "I will."

XXX

Hotch stepped out of the SUV and he immediately saw Kahlan and Will. He quickly took in her clothes and his heart skipped a beat at all of the blood on her right side. Once he was close enough, Kahlan turned and saw him. Hotch fixed her with his best stare. "Kahlan Lavonne Hotchner!"

Kahlan winced and then looked at Will. He suddenly found the ground very interesting, and she knew he had told on her. "Thanks, Will." Anyone who was standing in between Hotch and his intended target quickly moved out of his way when they saw his face. He advanced on his wife quickly. She smiled. "Hey, Hun."

"Don't you Hun, me. Has she been checked out?" He asked Will.

"Yes, and. . ." Will started.

"And it's just a scratch," she finished for him.

Hotch's look told her he didn't believe her. "When I'm done here, you will go to the hospital," Hotch told her in a tone that told her not to argue.

She sighed heavily. "Fine. Come on," she told him as she led the way through the crowd. "Lt. Jefferies, this is SSA Hotchner from the FBI." Kahlan introduced Hotch to the ranking local officer on the scene.

"Glad to meet you, Agent. I can't tell you much more than Agent Dunmire, here. It seems like she's got the best information as she was on scene when it happened."

Hotch nodded. He had wondered what Kahlan had done to be part of the investigation. She had pulled out her FBI alias. "You were just coming out when it started?" He asked her.

She nodded and led him toward the street. "Your shooters were here, there, and over by that tree," she told him as she got to the edge of the courthouse lawn and pointed out where the shooters had been. "The card was stuck in that same tree."

Hotch looked the scene over. "Any idea where they went?"

"The one I saw took off across the street. With all of the chaos, I lost him behind a line of busses," Kahlan told him sheepishly.

"Any witness accounts of vehicles?"

"Not so far," Will told him. "With everyone running in all directions, no one knows who the shooters were."

"Sorry, Aaron. Had I'd known what we were dealing with, I would have gone after him," she told him and he could tell she was disappointed with herself.

"Are you even armed?" Hotch asked her.

"No."

"So what? You were going to chase down a man with an assault rifle?"

"Yeah?" she told him slowly, not quite knowing what he was getting at.

Hotch shook his head. "Of course you would have. Think you saw him well enough for a sketch?"

"Of course."

He smiled; he knew she would have. He turned to Will. "Are you actually working this case?"

"No, but I called my boss and told him I was here. He said I could help out until things settled down, but he wants me in this afternoon."

"Well, thank you for everything. I think it would be alright if you head back," Hotch told him. "If this escalates, they're going to need you."

Will glanced at Kahlan and patted Hotch on the shoulder and then made his way to his SUV. Kahlan pulled on Hotch's arm. "What do you know?"

"Nothing really, yet. Let me find out all I can here and then. . ." Hotch started but then noticed several FBI agents show up, and he smiled. Kahlan looked at him questioningly. "Anderson!" Hotch yelled at one of the young agents.

The man jumped, and then quickly ran over to Hotch. "Yes, Sir?"

"Do me the favor of escorting my wife to the hospital. She needs to be checked out."

Anderson looked at Hotch, then at Kahlan, and then looked like he was going to faint.

"Aaron, I don't need a babysit. . ."

"You will go with Agent Anderson, and you will behave," Hotch told her with enough of an edge in his voice that any normal person would have been shaking with fear. He turned to Anderson who swallowed hard. "She will not leave the hospital until she has been cleared, and you have talked to the attending physician personally! Is that clear?"

Anderson nodded quickly. "Perfectly clear, Sir." Anderson had screwed up once in Hotch's eyes, and he wasn't going to do it again, especially with his wife. "Right this way, Ma'am," Anderson told her as he gestured to the SUV he had just gotten out of. She shot Hotch a look, but went to the SUV without another word.

Hotch watched them drive away. He figured she was mad at him, but if she wasn't going to take care of herself, then he had to do it. His phone vibrated. He took it out and looked at the message from her. 'You're so hot when you're mad!' He shook his head as he chuckled and went to find out all he could about the scene.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Hotch and the team were compiling everything they had on the five shootings. Garcia had pictures of several of the shooters through security footage and traffic cameras, but nothing was coming up through facial recognition. 'The Rebellion' had claimed the shootings, saying that the judicial system had become too skewed and no longer worked to protect the people. In the phone call to the 911 operator, the man proclaiming to be the leader promised more action against the government until things changed. Without saying what changes the group wanted, Hotch was worried that the group didn't actually want anything real; that they only wanted to cause more panic and damage. Out of the five shootings, sixteen people were dead and thirty two were wounded. Reports varied, but it looked like there were at least two shooters at each courthouse, and Hotch knew that the numbers could have been a lot worse with that many automatic guns aimed at unsuspecting civilians.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. _This is not the way I wanted to spend my Monday!_ They had a couple decent eye witness accounts, one from Kahlan, one from on off duty police officer in Arlington, and one from a retired Marine in Alexandria. The rest of the scenes were just a jumble of mixed reports that represented all of the panic and chaos that had ensued. Hotch sighed deeply. They had no idea what the terrorists were going to hit next or where they were going to hit, and the Rapid Response Team consisting of every agency in the area wanted a report from him in ten minutes. He didn't really have anything concrete to report, and it pissed him off.

Rossi put a supporting hand on Hotch's shoulder. "We'll start on the profile and as soon as we sift through all of this will have more to report."

Hotch nodded. He looked at his watch. He was worried about Kahlan. With as long as it was taking, he wondered if she was hurt worse than he thought. He shook his head. _Stop thinking that! She's fine!_ He looked over the pictures they had been able to get. The ages of the shooters ranged from late teens to middle aged. They could tell the men were familiar with the weapons they were using, and Morgan suggested that they were some militia group. Garcia was busy searching the internet to see if she could find any group that was connected with the symbol they had found at the courthouses. A card was found at every courthouse, and after the CSI units reported that they didn't provide any evidence, they knew the group was very organized; and that wasn't a good sign.

With one more look at everything they had, Hotch went to give his report. Rossi went to the break room to get some much needed coffee and when he was walking back to the conference room, Agent Anderson came back with Kahlan. "Hey, Kiddo, how are you?"

Kahlan gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm fine," she told him with a smile.

Agent Anderson was looking around for Hotch; he was ready to be relinquished of his charge.

"What do you need, Anderson?" Rossi asked the young man with a smile.

"Agent Hotchner. He wanted a report from the doctor on Mrs. Hotchner."

Rossi chuckled as Kahlan rolled her eyes. "I'll give it to him. You can go."

Anderson hesitated for just a second, looked at Kahlan one more time, and then gave Rossi the report. "Yes, Sir."

Kahlan watched him leave. "He's a good kid. Nervous, but good."

Rossi laughed and then read the report. He eyed Kahlan warily and shook his head. "Aaron's briefing the RRT, he should be back shortly."

"He wants a sketch of the shooter I saw."

"Come to the conference room, maybe we have a picture of him," Rossi told her and led the way.

Kahlan studied the pictures from Manassas. "Yep. This is the guy I saw. He's not the one to fire first, though."

"Who fired first?" Reid asked her as he looked over the pictures with her.

"Whoever was behind that tree fired first," Kahlan told him as she pointed to the tree in one of the pictures. The only thing that could be seen was the end of an assault rifle sticking out from behind it.

"Make the total dead, eighteen, just got a report in from the hospital; two more didn't make it," Morgan told them as he walked into the room.

Kahlan went to him quickly and hit him with one fast strike on the top of his arm.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" Morgan yelled as he grabbed his right arm with his left hand. "What the hell, Kahlan?"

"I told you I was going to hit you!"

"What did you do to him?" Mack asked as she watched Morgan still wincing in pain.

"It's just a cramp. Damn, Derek, toughen up," Kahlan told him with a wicked grin.

"A cramp from hell! Make it go away!" He pleaded through clenched teeth.

Rossi shook his head. "Alright, children."

JJ and Garcia laughed. Morgan was usually the tough one. Garcia didn't feel sorry for him, though.

"But it hurts!" Morgan yelled as he tried to rub the cramp in his tricep away. They could all tell the muscle had tried to ball itself into a knot.

"Kahlan! Don't make me put you in time out!" Rossi told her as he tried to act mad.

Reid and Mack shared a smile.

"Oh, jeeze! Come here, baby!" Kahlan grabbed Morgan and messaged his shoulder with her thumbs.

They could all see the relief wash over his face. "Ahhhhh." He quickly stepped away from her. "I'm sorry!" He told her. "I'll never make that mistake again!"

Kahlan's look told him that he better not. Hotch walked into the room and they all quickly acted like they were busy doing something. Hotch looked at everyone slowly. Even Kahlan had picked up a file and was acting like she was reading it. She looked up as if she just realized he had walked in. "Oh, hay, Hun. Seems like you got a picture of my guy, so you don't need a sketch.I guess I'll go," she told him as she started to go past him.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. "Where's the doctor's report?"

"Anderson gave it to Rossi," she told him with an innocent look.

Rossi handed the report to Hotch. Hotch read it over and his look darkened. "Just a scratch, huh?"

"Yep," she told him with another smile.

"Twenty three stitches isn't just a scratch."

"I didn't say it was a small scratch," she told him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then left.

He shook his head as he watched her leave. He finally turned back to the team. "What have we figured out?"

XXX

Hotch finally got home at two in the morning. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he unlocked the door. He opened the door to find Kahlan smiling at him. "It's about time you got home," she told him as she pulled him into a hug.

He hugged her back and sighed deeply. "Sorry. I tried not to wake you."

"I wasn't asleep yet. I was waiting up for you. I got some tea on, you want a cup?" She asked him as she pulled his suit jacket off of him, led him to the couch, and made him sit down.

He smiled. "That actually sounds good," he told her as he pulled off his tie.

She went to the kitchen. "So what did you all figure out?"

"That we don't have any idea who they are, what they want, or where they'll hit next."

She could hear his frustration. "Don't worry, Aaron. You all will figure it out," she tried to reassure him as she handed him his mug. She sat down beside him with a mug in her hand, too.

He huffed. "Unless they do something else, I don't see how that's going to happen."

"So you didn't get anything from the pictures?"

"Nope."

She winced. If none of the men were in the system, then that meant that none of them were criminals. That meant that they were organized enough to make sure that they couldn't get recognized. _Damn it! No wonder they weren't wearing masks._ She put her mug down on the coffee table, got up, and went behind the couch. "Sit back," she told him as she pulled his shoulders to the back of the couch and started kneading his tight muscles. He moaned as she dug her knuckles into the muscles of his stiff neck. "Damn, Hun. I don't think I've ever seen you this tense."

He leaned his head to the right so she could get to his neck easier. "Yeah, but this feels good."

She smiled and continued across his shoulders. He leaned his head down as she concentrated on his lower neck. He moaned as she massaged the muscles down the middle of his back along his spine. She leaned down and kissed the left side of his neck. "Finish your tea. It will help you relax."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Exactly what did you put in it?"

She smiled. "Just some natural extracts. It's not going to hurt you," she told him as she kneaded his back.

He sighed and took a long drink, the warmth of it filling his chest and stomach.

"Did you even eat dinner?" He squinted his eyes. "Do you even remember?" she asked with a little chuckle.

"JJ brought us sandwiches around five."

"Are you hungry? I can fix you a plate."

"Nah, I think I'll just head to bed," he told her as he finished his tea.

She smiled as she went around in front of him. "Then come on," she told him as she pulled him up and led him upstairs.

He stripped to his boxers and climbed in beside her. She snuggled up to his side and smiled as she noticed he was already blinking a little slowly. He put his arm around her and kissed her head. "Night, Babe."

"Goodnight, Hun."

XXX

After a week and nothing new from the terrorists, the Rapid Response team was put on stand down. After another week, almost everyone speculated that the courthouses were the only attack the group had planned. The BAU team wasn't letting their guard down, though. They had seen too many times when the case had gone cold, they'd relaxed, and then it blew up in their face again. Garcia had found traces of a secret militia group who had stolen the Star Wars symbol as their own, and they did call themselves 'The Rebellion', but she couldn't find too much on them except that they were based in Montana.

When Hotch told Kahlan about what Garcia had found over dinner one night, she winced. "Really? Montana?"

He chuckled. "Does anything good ever come out of that state?" He asked with a smirk and a look at Wyatt.

"Hey! That's where Harrison Ford lives!"

He shook his head. "And it's just creepy that you know that."

She gave him an evil grin. "Maybe I've had Cam task his satellites and spied on him while he was sunbathing by his pool."

Hotch choked on his drink. "I wouldn't doubt it!"

Joey giggled. "Indiana Jones is cute!"

Kahlan laughed. "That's my girl!"

Joey smiled widely and then looked at her father. "But he's not cuter than Daddy!"

"Hah! And that's my girl!" Hotch exclaimed proudly.

Kahlan shook her head as she laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The next morning, the BAU was called out to Louisiana. Before they could even land, Garcia had called them excitedly. JJ had gone into labor and Will was at the hospital with her. Hotch could tell the whole team wanted to be home to welcome their newest family members, but two missing boys needed to get home to their families. In a hurry to get home, they hit the ground running, and within eight hours they had their unsub and were searching for the boys. Within another two hours, Hotch and Rossi broke the man in interrogation, and he gave up his hiding place. Morgan, Reid, and Mack found the scared but otherwise untouched boys and took them back to their loving families.

Everyone was in a great mood on the jet for the quick ride home. They all piled into the SUVs and headed straight for hospital. Garcia and Cameron met them at the door. She was bouncing with glee. "Mama and babies are all doing excellent!" She explained with a grin.

"Of course they are," Rossi told her with a grin as big as her own.

Cam grabbed her hand. "I think they would like to see them for themselves."

"Oh! Of course! Follow me!" She said excitedly and turned to go to the elevators. They all laughed and followed the colorful woman.

Reid was the first to step up and hug JJ as she laid in her bed. JJ was holding a little brown haired, brown eyed boy; and Will was sitting in a seat beside her holding a little blond haired, blue eyed girl. They might have been twins, but they couldn't look more different. Henry was sitting on the bed with JJ and looking at his younger brother lovingly. "Hey guys," JJ told them with a smile. Her voice told them how tired she was, but her smile showed the love she felt. "Meet Mathew William and Jessica Lynn."

Hotch smiled. Everyone except Mack knew that Jessica was the name of the sister JJ had lost when she was young. "I can't believe that Kahlan isn't here."

"She was here earlier. Joey has already decided to call them Matty and Jesse," Will told him with a smile.

Hotch chuckled. "She has been waiting patiently." He stepped closer to Will and looked down at the little bundle in his arms. "It's different when it's a girl, isn't it?" Hotch asked him quietly.

A wide grin spread across Will's face. "You know, I would never have believed that before, but," he looked down at the little girl in his arms and then looked back to Hotch. "But, yeah. . ." His eyes watered but they smiled as much as his face did.

Hotch patted him on the back. "She's beautiful." He turned to JJ. "They're wonderful, JJ. Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Hotch."

Once everyone had their turn at holding the newest members to the BAU family, they all wished the family a good night and headed for the exit. They were all talking and teasing Garcia and Cam about being the next in line to have a baby, and none of them were really paying attention to what was going on outside of their little family circle. As soon as they made it past the automatic doors, automatic gunfire rang out in deafening closeness.

Rossi turned and shoved Hotch out of the way as screams erupted from all of the people who were around the entrance.

Cam threw Garcia down and laid on top of her.

Morgan drew his pistol as he ran behind a cement pillar and opened fire.

Hotch scrambled up off the ground, drew his pistol, but ran to a woman who was pushing a stroller out of the doors, and pushed her back through the doors and moved her and the stroller up against the side wall out of the line of fire.

Reid pulled his gun and ran to the pillar to the right of Morgan and opened fire.

Mack ran and pushed two woman to the ground to protect them.

Once the woman was safe, Hotch quickly went back out the doors and helped Reid take out one of the shooters.

The shooter who was farthest away took off running, and Morgan shot the shooter that was closest in the leg. He quickly threw down his rifle and raised his hands. Morgan ran and tackled the man to the ground and cuffed him roughly.

Once the gun fire had ceased, they only thing that could be heard was crying from a woman as she knelt down next to a man. Reid quickly ran over to her, but the man was dead.

Cam got up and pulled Garcia into a hug once he made sure she was alright.

Nurses and doctors came running out of the hospital to help.

Hotch put his gun back in its holster and shook his head. He could see at least three more injured or dead lying farther down the sidewalk. He turned and his breath hitched in his chest. Rossi was lying face down on the sidewalk. "No!" Hotch yelled and went to him. He quickly turned him over and saw that his chest was soaked with blood. "I need a doctor!" Hotch yelled as he ripped Rossi shirt open. Tears fell from his eyes as he took in two bullet wounds in the older man's upper chest. "Come one, Dave!" He took off his suit jacket, balled it up, and pressed it to Rossi's chest to try and stop the bleeding.

Cam ran over to help, but he wasn't sure what to do.

"Check for a pulse!" Hotch screamed at him.

Cam jumped and put two fingers to Rossi's neck. "It's there, but it's erratic."

Just then another doctor and nurse came out with a gurney and ran up to Hotch. Hotch quickly told them about the wounds, and the four of them got Rossi on it the gurney, and they quickly wheeled him in through the doors and to the ER. Hotch ran with them to give them whatever information they would need.

Cam turned to his wife. She was crying. "Come on Pen, you better go see JJ and Will. They probably heard all the shooting," he told her as he hugged her. Mack came up to them and said she would go with her as they heard the sirens of approaching police and other emergency vehicles. He took out his phone to make a couple of calls.

Morgan pulled the shooter he had captured toward the entrance. He didn't care how much pain the man was in; he deserved it. Just then his phone went off.

Reid took out his phone as it went off. They were all being recalled to the BAU. _Apparently this hospital wasn't the only one attacked._ He got to the entrance at the same time as Morgan and they both looked at Cam worriedly. "Garcia?" Reid quickly asked.

"Pen's fine, but Rossi got hit. Hotch is in there with him. It's bad," Cam told them quickly and then put the phone to his ear. He quickly told Kahlan what had happened, and Kahlan told him she was on her way.

Two police officers came up to them. They all took out their badges, and after explaining what happened, Morgan turned the prisoner over to them and they all ran in to see about Rossi.

They found Hotch pacing in the ER waiting room. They could all see how upset he was. They all knew Hotch thought of Rossi like a father, and they all prayed that Rossi would be alright. "Do you know anything yet?" Morgan asked him. Hotch still had Rossi's blood all over his hands. All Hotch did was shake his head. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Morgan told him tenderly and he lead Hotch to the restroom. Reid took out his phone to call their Section Chief to let him know what had happened.

Within ten minutes, Kahlan came running though the ER doors. Morgan got up and let her have the seat next to Hotch. "Any news?" She asked quickly. Hotch shook his head as his eyes watered up. "Oh, Hun," Kahlan pulled him into a hug and he buried his face in her shoulder. They could all tell he was crying. She rubbed circles on his back. "It's ok, it's ok," she kept repeating quietly.

After about ten minutes. "Family of David Rossi?" A doctor asked.

They all stood up. Hotch wiped his face and turned to face the doctor. He took out his badge and showed it to the younger man. "I am his boss. He has no official family," Hotch told him.

The doctor took in everyone standing around Hotch. He nodded his understanding; he could tell they all cared for the older man. "Agent Rossi has two GSWs to the upper thoracic cavity and is headed to surgery now. One of the bullets nicked his aorta, but we were able to temporarily stop the bleeding here in the ER, but they will have to repair it in surgery."

"What's the overall prognosis?" Kahlan asked him.

"With all of the blood, we really couldn't see exactly how much damage was done. We will know a lot more once the surgery is over."

"Is there any chance that he won't make it through the surgery?" Kahlan pressed.

The doctor winced ever so slightly, but the trained eyes of the profilers caught it, and Hotch held his breath. "I really can't say, Ma'am. It truly depends on what they find. You all are welcome to go wait in waiting room three up on the fourth floor."

Kahlan nodded and the doctor turned and left them. She turned to her husband. "Come on, Aaron. Let's get some air," she told him as she grabbed his arm and steered him to the doors.

Once they were outside and away from anyone else, Hotch sighed deeply. "As soon as the first shot rang out, he shoved me out of the way," Hotch told her through tears.

"Oh, Hun." She pulled him into another hug. "Dave's too stubborn to let this beat him. He's a strong man, Aaron. You know that."

"If he wouldn't have been worried about me. . ."

"He loves you."

"But he wouldn't. . ."

She held him out at arm's length. "Just stop! Dave didn't do what he did to make you feel guilty! He did what he did because he's Dave, and that's it!"

"I can't lose him, Kahlan," Hotch told her weakly.

She pulled him back into a hug. "You won't! I don't have a bad feeling about this." She held his face in her hands. "He will get through this!" He searched her eyes and finally nodded. She wiped his tears away with her thumbs.

He took a deep breath, stood up straight, squared his shoulders, and gave her a small smile. "I love you."

"Of course you do," she told him playfully. "But I love you more!"

He chuckled and took her hand and led her back inside. Once Hotch was back in, Morgan gave him an update. Four other hospitals had also been hit. Paxton was floored to find out that his BAU team had been in one of the attacks, but he was beyond proud that they were able to apprehend one of the terrorists. The RRT was meeting in the bullpen, and they were compiling everything to get it ready for Hotch and them to look at. Morgan told Hotch that he would take the rest of the team back so they could get started and Hotch agreed. They all knew Hotch wouldn't leave the hospital until he knew how Rossi was going to be. "Don't question that son of a bitch until I get back, though!" Hotch told him seriously.

Morgan smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Hotch and Kahlan watched the team leave and then made their way up to the surgery waiting room. Hotch sat down roughly. Kahlan studied him. "Whatever dark thoughts that you have running through your head, they need to stop right now!" Kahlan told him as she sat down and put her arm around his back.

"I know. It's just. . ."

"It's Dave. He wouldn't leave you, Aaron. He wouldn't leave the kids. You know he thinks of us as his family," she told him tenderly. "He wouldn't leave us," she assured him.

Hotch gave her a small smile. "Yeah, he wouldn't trust anyone else to protect and care for us."

"That's right," she smiled as she rubbed his back. "Especially since he has two more grandkids to spoil."

Hotch smiled at the thought of the two new babies down a floor. "So what did Joey really think of them?"

"Oh, you should have heard all of the things she wants to do with them," Kahlan told him though chuckles.

"She does know it will be a while before they can play with her, right?"

Kahlan laughed. "I told her, but I think she thinks she can get them to perform miracles."

Hotch shook his head. "And when Vinnie has her baby, Joey won't know what to do with them all."

XXX

Finally, two hours later, a doctor came in to give them an update. Hotch and Kahlan stood up quickly, and the doctor smiled. Kahlan felt Hotch almost go weak in the knees, so she gripped his arm tighter. "Agent Rossi's aorta was fixed easily enough, and once we got the bleeding under control and we could see, we were happily surprised. One of the bullets did graze one of his ribs, but it slowed it down enough that it lodged into soft tissue. We found the bullet that nicked the aorta actually resting up against his left shoulder blade. He was very lucky, and barring any complications from infection, he will make a complete recovery."

"Oh, thank God!" Hotch finally breathed.

The doctor smiled again. Kahlan smiled back. "Thank you. When can we see him?"

The doctor looked at his watch. "He's in recovery right now, but he should be moved to a room within the hour. I will send a nurse as soon as we know which room he'll be in," he told them and then left.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Hotch sank down into a seat and put his face in his hands and cried, relief washing through him. Kahlan pulled his head to her and hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Let it out, Babe," she told him as she rubbed circles on his back. She felt a few tears fall down her cheeks. _Thank you, God!_

XXX

Hotch walked into the dimly lit room slowly. His heart skipped a beat; he had never seen Rossi lying in a hospital bed, and it bothered him greatly. He froze about five feet from the bed; he felt weak and his legs started to shake as if he had just run five miles. Kahlan put her hand on the small of his back and urged him forward. Rossi opened his eyes slightly as he felt them looking at him. "Hey, you," Kahlan told him and leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey," he told her softly with a small smile. He looked at Hotch, and he could tell he had been crying. "I'm sorry."

"What? What do you have to be sorry for?" Hotch asked flabbergasted as he grabbed Rossi's hand in his. "I should be the one apologizing! If you hadn't been worried about me. . ."

"Stop, Aaron. I did what I had to do. . ."

"But you. . ."

"Both of you stop!" Kahlan told them in her 'mother' tone. "Dave's going to be fine, and that's all that matters!"

"Yes, Ma'am," Hotch and Rossi both said at the same time, and she smiled.

"This was the terrorists, wasn't it?" Rossi asked getting serious.

"Yes. They hit four other hospitals, too," Hotch told him.

"What's next, schools?" They could tell Rossi was pissed.

"Oh, God! I hope not!" Hotch didn't want to consider that.

"What was their reason for attacking hospitals?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't left here," Hotch told him.

Rossi shook his head. "You have to get them, Aaron. These son of a bitches need to be stopped!"

"We will. Morgan actually apprehended one. I'm hoping he'll lead us to the others."

Rossi fixed Kahlan with a look. "The team's two men down now, he's going to need your help."

Kahlan smiled. "Oh, don't worry. They've made it personal now."

He returned her smile and nodded.

"Kahlan?" Kahlan's mom asked from the doorway. Kahlan smiled and hugged her mother; she had called and updated her as soon as they had heard from the doctor. "Donna's with the kids," she assured them as she gave Hotch a quick hug and then turned to Rossi. "And you! If you wanted to take a couple weeks off, you could have just used some vacations time!" She told Rossi with a smile. Rossi chuckled slightly, but they could all see tiredness and pain creeping into his eyes.

"Well, we'll leave you two alone and go see about catching the unsubs," Kahlan told Rossi as she leaned down to give him another kiss.

Hotch grabbed Rossi hand again and gave it a tight squeeze. Rossi nodded his understanding of what wasn't said. "I'll see you later," Hotch told him.

"Yep, and be careful!" Rossi told him seriously. He shot Kahlan a look and she nodded.

XXX

Kahlan pulled into the parking garage at FBI Headquarters and slowed down to a stop in front of the elevator. Hotch looked at her questioningly. "I have a few things I need to take care of. Go questions that asshole and find us a target."

"Kahlan. . ." He started and the concern in his voice couldn't be missed.

"I'll be back, Aaron," she assured him with a smile.

He studied her face for a few moments.

"I will _never_ go running off again on my own," she told him seriously.

"You mean without me," he corrected her. He didn't want to think of her taking Chuck and leaving him again.

She laughed. "Yes. I will never go running off without _you_." He still didn't reach for the door handle. She sighed. "I promise."

He finally smiled and leaned over to give her a kiss. "That's better," he told her and exited the car.

She shook her head as she chuckled. "Good luck," she told him and he shut the door.

Hotch made his way to the bullpen and went to his team to get an update. The leader of the terrorists had called a local news station and claimed the hospital shootings as retaliation against the rising cost of health insurance and medical care. All of the shooters, except those that the team encountered got away. Twenty three people were dead, and twelve more were wounded. Just like after the courthouse shooting, though, the terrorists had disappeared. Not one witness saw a getaway car or noticed where the shooters had gone. Knowing that the terrorists could strike anywhere and at any time had every person in the bullpen in a foul mood. Paxton could tell Hotch was biting at the bit to go question their prisoner, so he finally let him and Morgan have a crack at him. The man hadn't said one word since he had been apprehended, and Paxton was worried that they weren't going to be able to get anything from him. Finger printing revealed nothing, so they knew the man wasn't a criminal or that he was never in any service that required them.

Hotch and Morgan walked into the interrogation room. Hotch sat at the table across from the man and Morgan stayed standing behind Hotch and leaned up against the wall. "I am Agent Hotchner and this is Agent Morgan. We're with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit," Hotch started cordially, but he had fixed the man with his famous stare. "And who might you be?"

The man looked back and forth between Hotch and Morgan a few times. He smirked, but didn't say a word.

Hotch estimated the man to be in his early thirties. He also noticed a faint white ring on his left ring finger. "If you tell us who you are, we can contact your wife and family to let them know you're alright." Morgan and Hotch both saw a flicker of a wince cross the man's face.

"Unless, of course, they have left you because of what you have gotten yourself into. What? Don't the kids like that daddy has become a killer of innocent man, women, and children," Morgan tried. They could tell that it had made the man angry. "I think that's it, Hotch. I don't think his wife could love a man who would kill a child."

The man eyed Morgan menacingly.

"That or they don't like the fact that they're killing innocent Americans. . ." Hotch started.

"Americans have died all throughout history in the name of change," the man told him coldly.

"But you all haven't said what you want changed. You're just going around killing innocent people and creating panic," Morgan pointed out.

"They will know our name, and then they will be forced to change."

"Yeah? And how are you going to do that?" Morgan continued.

"By creating pandemonium," he said flatly.

Neither Hotch nor Morgan liked the sound of that. "So this so called Rebellion of yours, where is based out of?" Morgan asked him as he finally moved closer to the table. The man just looked at him and then looked back at Hotch.

"Why would you want to protect them? They just ran off and left you," Hotch pointed out. The man shifted in his seat ever so slightly.

"I knew the risks," is all he said.

"So they are just going to let you rot in prison and take the fall for it all?" Hotch asked him hoping to scare the man into talking.

"I will gladly give up my freedom for The Rebellion. In the end, everyone will praise me."

_I really hate martyrs!_ Hotch sighed deeply as he studied the man in front of him. He knew from the man's demeanor that they weren't going to get anything from him, and it pissed him off. These men were responsible for almost killing Dave, the man who was more of a father than his had ever been. He stood up as he pushed himself off the table roughly. "Get this scum bag to Gitmo," Hotch told Morgan.

Morgan smiled and advanced on the man.

"What!?" The man yelled. "That place is for terrorists!"

Hotch gave him his best stare. "Which is exactly what you and your friends are. Being one of the only blond, blue eyed men there. . ." He smiled as he looked at Morgan. "What do you give him? Three days? Two?"

Morgan smiled. "I bet you fifty bucks he doesn't make through twenty four hours."

"I'll take that," Hotch told him and they shook hands.

"You can't send me there! I'm an American!"

"A terrorist is a terrorist," Hotch told him and left the room.

***My amazing daughter just made me a website. It has all of my stories and pictures of the characters on it. It's worth visiting just to see the one of Joey's Hotch-stare! *chuckle. **

**Anyway, here's the address: talesofhoffer. webs. com (without the spaces, of course) Let me know what you think of it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Everyone in the bullpen was discussing theories and strategies for dealing with the terrorists that they knew for sure weren't going away on their own. Hotch was talking to Paxton and the other team leaders about the man they had taken prisoner and whether they were actually going to send him to Gitmo. Paxton was sure the man couldn't be made to talk, and Hotch agreed. Hotch did imply that while normal interrogation techniques wouldn't do any good, a little stronger encouragement may just get them results. Paxton looked at him as if he'd sprouted wings. _Thank God he never found out about Chuck's involvement before!_

All talking ceased, though, when the Director of National Intelligence walked in. Following close behind him was FBI Director Mueller and to Hotch's surprise, Kahlan and Chuck. Hotch froze. _What the hell?_

Kahlan shot Hotch a quick smile as the DNI cleared his throat to make sure had everyone's attention. "I have been updated on the current attacks, and I believe we can now call this a viable threat," he paused as several people nodded. "Since they have crossed state lines, we can be certain they are not just attacking Virginia. They are attacking the US as a whole, and they need to be stopped before there is any more loss of life." He suddenly eyed Hotch and Hotch swallowed hard. "Agent Hotchner, I believe your team is responsible for taking down one of the terrorists and apprehending one?"

"Yes, Sir," Hotch told him proudly.

"Well done. I would like to talk to you about that privately in a moment." He turned to Mueller and the other heads of the teams. "You all need to discuss a plan to have your individual teams dispersed and ready at a moment's notice as soon as these. . ." He swallowed back what he truly wanted to call them. "These misguided individuals decide to show themselves again. We need to be ready for them to attack anywhere." As soon as Clapper tuned to Hotch, everyone else started to make their plans.

"We can use my office, Sir," Hotch told him as he led him to the catwalk. He eyed Kahlan warily as he realized that she was following the DNI.

Kahlan shut the door to Hotch's office. Clapper fixed Hotch with a look. "What did you get from your prisoner, Agent?"

"Nothing, Sir. He won't even divulge his name," Hotch started.

Clapper studied him for a moment. "And let me guess, Paxton didn't want you to lean on him too hard." Hotch gave him a small smile. Even if he didn't agree with his Section Chief at all times, he would never talk bad about him to anyone else. Clapper nodded his understanding, and became a little more impressed with the Agent in front of him. He liked a man of loyalty. "Well, I have taken it upon myself to rearrange some of the dynamics of those involved with this case. I believe you can use all of the help you can get?"

Hotch shot Kahlan a look. "Or course, Sir."

Clapper smiled. Everyone under him had come to know about Kahlan in the last six months, and everyone was impressed with her, and they all wanted her for themselves. He didn't have to worry about the FBI, though, they already had her; it was just through her husband. "Since you're two people down, I just so happen to have two people who could fill-in on your team." He smiled and then gestured to Kahlan. "I would like your wife and her assistant to help out with this case, and I want you and your team to head up the investigation."

Hotch raised his brows. There were a lot of people who outranked him out in the bullpen. "Head it up, Sir?"

"I am putting you in charge. Mueller already agreed, and all of the heads are being told as we speak. You and your team are the only ones who have been able to accomplish anything so far. . ."

"That was just luck and circumstance that we were even at that hospital. . ."

"I don't care," he told Hotch seriously. "It is also personal for you now that one of your own is down, correct?" Hotch nodded; he knew most people would think that was a bad thing. Clapper smiled again, though. "In my experience, when things get personal, things get solved even quicker." Hotch gave him another small smile. "I know you'll utilize your wife to the utmost extent, but I expect you to be her conscious, if you will."

Kahlan rolled her eyes, and Hotch actually chuckled a little. "Yes, Sir."

"You need to clarify it for him, Jim," Kahlan told him dryly.

Hotch looked at them both. "Clarify what?"

"That we're allowed to do whatever is needed to get this taken care of," she told him, and he was reminded of when they first met and she talked in circles.

"You are authorized to use whatever means necessary to make this disappear, Agent," Clapper told him seriously.

"You mean. . ." Hotch started.

"It has been sanctioned from the highest authority. You are to proceed with extreme prejudice," Clapper continued.

Kahlan shot Hotch a satisfied look.

"I understand, Sir," Hotch told him.

"I would think the first thing you'll want to do is question your prisoner again," Clapper told him with a smile at Kahlan.

"Yes, Sir. I would think he has something that would be worth looking into," Hotch told him with his own smile.

"Very well. Keep me posted," he told Kahlan. She nodded, and he left to go make sure things were going smoothly with the rest of the people in the bullpen.

Hotch looked at his wife with raised brows. "I suppose you want Chuck to question him?"

She flashed a wicked grin. "Nope," she told him, and then gave him a puzzling look. "Why would you think Chuck would. . ." She furrowed her brows. "He questioned someone about me, didn't he?"

Hotch took a deep breath; he'd figured Chuck had already told her about it. "Yes."

"And he invited you to watch?" Kahlan asked him, and he could tell she was shocked.

"Rossi and I were there."

She smiled. _Of course Rossi would be there to make sure you didn't see anything too disturbing. _"Let me guess, he used his knife and salt?"

Hotch winced and she knew that's what had happened. "It does hurt like hell," he told her with a small grin.

"Oh, I know," she told him, and he saw her wince as she remembered something. He cringed with the thought of salt being used on her. "I won't spill one drop of his blood, Aaron, so you can relax," she told him with a smile and gestured for him to lead the way.

He didn't move, though. "So, you're going to do it?" He asked her, and she thought a look of fear ghosted across his face.

"You don't have to watch, Aaron."

"What are you going to do to him?"

"I won't leave a mark on him, either," she told him and flashed another wicked grin at him.

"You're not going to k. . ."

"No!" she said quickly as soon as she realized what he was asking. "Damn, Aaron. Do you want to get answers or not?"

"Oh, I do. I just don't know if I want you to be the one getting them," he told her honestly.

"I used to do this for a living, Aaron," she told him simply as she went to him and put her arms around his waist and pulled him to her. "But I'd understand if you don't want to watch. I really wouldn't want you to become afraid of me," she told him as she looked him in the eyes.

Hotch mentally winced. He clearly remembered the only time he had ever been afraid of her, and he was starting to understand what she was going to do to the man. _And after what happened to Dave, he deserves every bit of it!_ He pulled her to him and smiled. "Just try to make sure he doesn't piss his pants. I don't want my interrogation room to stink."

She laughed and leaned up to give him a kiss, and then gave him a cocky grin. "Maybe you should have Morgan take him to the restroom first."

He laughed, let her go, and led her out of his office. Chuck quickly stepped in behind them and Morgan also joined them as they headed out of the bullpen; he knew where they were going. Morgan gave Kahlan a smile and she winked at him. "So we're going to find out where these son of a bitches are held up?" Morgan asked Chuck.

Chuck smiled. "I think Kay is going to find out a lot of things." Morgan raised his brows and looked at Kahlan. Chuck laughed. "What? Who do you think taught me how to question people? Kay's an expert," he told him proudly.

Kahlan rolled her eyes and Hotch winced as his imagination started to run away with him. _And yet, I thought I already knew everything about her!_ _What the hell else am I going to find out?_

"How sound proof is that room?" Kahlan asked him seriously.

"I have no idea. We've never heard anything coming out of there before, but we've never had anyone screaming at the top of his lungs either," Hotch told her jokingly but was completely serious. He sighed heavily as he opened the interrogation room and went in first. The man sat up straighter, but he looked at Kahlan nervously when she entered behind Hotch. She smiled at the seated man and it sent a chill down his spine. He looked at Chuck and swallowed hard. "What? This my CIA escort to Gitmo?"

Kahlan looked hurt. "Do I really look like CIA?" She asked Morgan.

He laughed. "Well. . ."

"Ouch! That hurt Morgan!" She told him with a smile as she pulled the chair out that Hotch had used earlier, turned it around, and sat down on it backwards. "I'm not CIA, but, by the time I'm done with you, you'll wish he had sent to Gitmo," she told him coldly as she gestured toward Hotch.

The man studied her face and swallowed hard; then he looked at Hotch. Hotch was standing behind her with his arms across his chest; his face passive.

Morgan put his hands on the table and looked at the man, then at Kahlan, and then back to the man. "You might want to reconsider answering our questions before we let her begin her interrogation," Morgan told him seriously.

Chuck laughed. "I don't think he understands what relief you're actually offering Morgan."

The man eyed Chuck thoughtfully and then looked back at Kahlan. They could tell he wasn't sure who to believe.

"Do you want to talk to them, or do you want to talk to me?" Kahlan asked him nicely.

He smiled at her. "I have rights."

"Nope. You lost those rights when you shot up those courthouses and became a terrorist. You don't even get one phone call or a lawyer, either," Morgan told him as he stood back up.

"Decide," Kahlan told him, and all three of the men could hear the venom behind the word as her voice lost all of its niceness.

The man looked at Hotch again and then looked at Kahlan; apparently deciding that the woman was the lesser of the two. Kahlan smiled, and Hotch thought she looked like the cat that ate the canary. He sighed deeply. _And here we go._ Kahlan stood up quickly and the man flinched. She turned to Morgan. "Uncuff him."

"What?" He asked quickly and shot a look to Hotch. Hotch shrugged. Morgan ran a hand over his bald head and looked at Kahlan. His look told her he didn't like the idea of the man being able to do anything. Kahlan shot him a look that told him to obey. He sighed and took his key out of his pocket. The man smiled as Morgan bent to unlock his cuffs, which also released him from the chair. He didn't move, though.

Kahlan shot Chuck a look. He smiled at her. "Well, guys, I think the lady wants to spend some alone time with your unsub," Chuck told them with a smile as he opened the door. Morgan shot Hotch another look; he definitely didn't want to leave Kahlan alone with the man.

Hotch smiled, though. "Come on, Morgan. Let's go get some coffee while the lady gets acquainted with him," Hotch told him and started to leave the room. Morgan shot another look at Kahlan, and then he looked at the man again. He actually felt sorry for him. Chuck followed them out and shut the door behind them. They immediately went to the adjoining room to watch through the observation mirror. Reid and Mack were already in there, and Hotch noticed they were both looking a little horrified for what was about to happen. He wasn't sure if he should let Mack watch or not. He almost felt sorry for the man as he watched Kahlan move the chair she was sitting in up against the far wall. The man was actually smiling at her. _You poor bastard. You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Kahlan walked up to the man slowly. "Let's start with something simple, like your name," she told him with a smile.

"What? You gonna beat it out of me? I would think your buddy would be better suited for that than you are," he told her as he stood up with his own smile.

Kahlan chuckled, and it sent a shiver down Hotch's back; he had never heard her chuckle like that before. _Thank God!_ It was a vibrating chuckle that came through her nose, and the first thing he thought of when he heard it was a twisted killer from a horror movie. Hotch noticed Reid shot him a worried look. He also noticed Chuck tense ever so slightly. _Apparently he's heard the evil chuckle before._

"You're not a very good judge of character," Kahlan told him as she stopped within reach of him. He was about six foot tall, but she knew she could reach him without a problem.

"Yeah? Why is that?"

Hotch noticed just a hint of a quiver in the man's voice.

"Because I'm the deadliest of everyone who was in here," she told him simply.

He studied her and swallowed hard.

"I guess he's regretting his decision already," Morgan told Hotch. Hotch nodded.

Kahlan suddenly reached out and grabbed the left side of the man's face with her right hand. Her thumb was right in the middle of his left brow, her index finger was right in front of his ear, her middle finger was right at the base of his ear, and her last two fingers were gripping the back of his jaw bone. Hotch saw the man tense in pain. Kahlan smiled wickedly. "Don't move. I'd hate to paralyze half of your face," she told him coldly as she flexed her fingers.

Even with half of his face in her hands, Hotch could see the look of fear that had overcome him.

"Your facial nerves are actually pretty interesting. For instance," she started and moved her middle finger slightly. "I can make you drool like this." They all heard the man slurp back the excess drool that had flooded his mouth. "Or I can send pain to down your spinal column like this," she told him as she moved her middle finger closer to the base of his ear. Hotch thought the man's knees were going to buckle as he tried to shrink back from the pain he was feeling. Hotch swallowed hard.

Kahlan relaxed her grip slightly and the man started breathing heavily. "You were going to tell me your name."

The man tried to nod as his left eye twitched a little. "Brian. Brian Tenner."

Morgan took out his phone to get Garcia on the name.

"Good boy," Kahlan told him with a smile and let go of him. Brian quickly rubbed the side of his face and slurped back more saliva. "Don't worry, that'll stop in a few moments."

Brian bit his lip as he stared at her. They could all tell he was frightened.

"And where is your group located?" Kahlan asked him. Hotch noticed she tensed slightly, and he could tell she was about ready to strike again.

Brian's eyes darted around and Hotch could tell he was considering not answering. Mack sucked in a breath as Kahlan quickly reached out and grabbed Brian's right arm. Even though she let him go as quickly as she grabbed him, Hotch knew exactly where she had attacked. Brian's eyes grew wide in fear as he realized that he couldn't use his right arm and he grabbed it with his left hand. "What did you do to me?" He screamed.

Kahlan smiled. "You might want to answer quickly before that becomes permanent."

"What?" Brian yelled as he backed away from Kahlan. Hotch bit his lip. He knew how scary that was, and he was silently hoping Brian would answer. He really didn't want to see the results that could have happened to him. Just the thought was scary enough; he didn't want to see proof. Kahlan looked at her watch. "You have about a minute before you can no longer use your hand," she told him dryly as if they were discussing the weather.

Hotch could see the man trying to get his hand to move. It was trembling slightly, but he didn't think that it was the man doing it.

"About forty-five seconds. Then in about another minute or so, you'll loss the loss of your forearm."

Morgan ran a hand over his head, and Hotch sighed deeply through his nose.

"He's a stubborn bastard, isn't he?" Chuck asked them. Hotch could tell that even Chuck was a little worried.

"I don't think he believes her," Mack told them.

"Thirty seconds."

Brian was using his left hand to try and wake up his right hand. Kahlan knew from all of the callouses on Brian's hands that he worked with them. He finally just let his arm hang down to the side. "Alright! Make it stop!"

"Answer the question first," she told him coldly.

"They're in Page County! They got a couple cabins up in the Shenandoah Mountains," he told her quickly.

She grabbed his arm and wrapped her fingers around his bicep. A painful gasp escaped him and they saw him visibly relax a little. Kahlan had apparently fixed what she had done. She looked at the mirror. "Get me a map."

Reid left the room quickly.

"Sit down," she told Brian as she pulled the seat he had been using closer to him. He eyed her suspiciously but sat down slowly and swallowed more saliva. "See how much more comfortable it is when you cooperate?" She asked as she pulled the other chair up and sat down right in front of him. "How many people are in your little group?"

He swallowed hard. "Thirty-seven when we attacked the hospitals, but more people were joining us every day."

She raised her brows at that. "What is it, a bunch of militia groups converging together?"

He nodded. "You'll never be able to stop us all," he told her with a mean look as he still rubbed his right arm.

"Oh, shit," Chuck said quickly.

"Really?" Kahlan asked sarcastically as she quickly reached out and grabbed Brian's left leg behind his knee. They all saw pain spread across his face as his left leg slowly rose off the ground. His face scrunched up and he gritted his teeth as a groan escaped him. "The Tibial nerve is responsible for impulses to most of the lower leg. I can make it do a lot more than just cramp severely," she told him coldly.

"Ok! Ok!" He screamed.

She let him go roughly, and he tried to breath past the pain.

"That's what she did to my arm!" Morgan said quickly as he rubbed his upper arm in remembrance of the cramp.

Hotch looked at him questioningly but then shook his head. "I don't want to know."

Reid came back in with a map in his hand. He held it out to Hotch. Hotch raised his brows, and he knew Reid didn't want to go into the room. He patted Reid on the shoulder and took the map. With a quick look at Chuck, he went to join his wife. Kahlan jumped up quickly when she heard the door open. She stepped over to the wall behind Brian, and Hotch knew she wanted him to handle that part of the interrogation, so he put the map down on the table and fixed Brian with a look. "Where are the cabins?"

Brian looked at the map, reached out, pulled it to him, and studied it a little more closely. "They're outside of Luray, up through Jordan Hollow," he told Hotch after a quick glance behind him at Kahlan. She had folded her arms across her chest and was waiting patiently. "They are up by this ridge," he told him as he pointed to the map.

"What's your next target?" Hotch asked him.

Brian shook his head and Kahlan advanced on him. He felt her right behind him. "I don't know!" He held up his hands in submission. "I swear! He never told us the plan until the day we actually left to do it."

Hotch glanced at Kahlan. "Who is 'he'?" Hotch asked him.

Brian gave him a look of horror. "I can't," he started. "He'll kil. . ." He stopped as Kahlan pressed her fingers into the top of his back right beside his spine.

Hotch could see the fear and pain in Brian's face. He wasn't sure what Kahlan was doing, and he really didn't want to know. "His name?" Hotch asked again.

Brian shook his head, and Hotch saw Kahlan reach up and put her other hand on his neck. Hotch mentally winced as he saw her fingers dig into Brian's carotid. Brian whimpered as his face started to turn red. Kahlan bent down next to his head. "If I shut off the flow of blood to your brain long enough, you will suffer brain damage," Kahlan whispered in his ear.

Brian blinked rapidly as he started to feel dizzy. "I don't know his real name! We all just call him Han."

Kahlan let him go roughly. Hotch noticed her face scrunch up in disgust. "Blasphemy!" Kahlan yelled, and she cuffed Brian in the back of head roughly, and his face almost hit the table. "A bunch of redneck idiots!" Kahlan blurted out and turned to Brian. "I can't believe you all have taken one of my favorite things and twisted it into something repulsive!"

"What?" Brian asked quickly; Hotch could tell he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Have you even seen Star Wars?" She asked him as she sat back down in front of him.

"What?"

"Star Wars, the movie, the books, the flipping toys!"

"I. . . I think my son watches some cartoon about that," Brian told her weakly.

"Aarrgghhh!" Kahlan yelled as she stood up. "Idiots!"

Brian shrank back from her as he looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Hotch almost laughed, but he knew that Kahlan would just aim her anger at him. She turned back to him. "Your fearless leader that you think so much of, he isn't such a great thinker. He has stolen all of his ideas from a series of movies that first came out in 1977."

Hotch could tell that Brian still had no idea what Kahlan was talking about. She huffed and left the room. Hotch shook his head and followed her. He found her in the hall fuming. "You alright, Babe?"

"Han? Really?" She huffed again. "I think I want to find this Han, and have a little talk with him. I'll make sure I shoot first, though."

While he had no idea what she meant by that, he chuckled. _And I feel sorry for him!_ "Let's get this information to the teams in the bullpen. We can hit the cabins first thing in the morning," he told her as he pulled her to him.

She looked up at him sheepishly. "Sorry. I kind of lost my cool."

He laughed again. "And I was worried about you being mad over the shootings. I didn't know I'd have to worry about them putting down your favorite movie."

She gave him a look that reminded him of Joey when she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. "Sorry. I guess that was really juvenile."

"I love the kid in you," he told her with a smile.

"I may grow old, but I will never grow up!" She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss and then reached for the handle of the door to the observation room. "You can come out now," she yelled as she swung the door open.

Chuck came out first. He was wearing a wide grin. "That's was just like old times, Kay," he told her as he picked her up in a big hug.

"Put me down," she told him and cuffed him on the back of the head. He laughed and put her down gently.

Hotch rolled his eyes at the younger man. Kahlan winced when she saw Reid and Mack come out of the room. She shot a look to Hotch, and Hotch knew she didn't approve of the younger agents watching the interrogation.

"That was awesome, Kay. You'll have to teach me some of that," Mack told her with a grin.

Hotch raised his brows at the youngest team member. _And I thought it was going to scare her._ "I don't think a profiler really needs skills like that, Mack." She pouted and headed to the bullpen.

Morgan chuckled. "Well, I am now certain I never want to be on Kahlan's bad side!"

"You mean you've just figured that out?" Chuck joked.

"Oh, I was pretty sure before, but now I am certain!" Morgan told him as he followed Mack.

Kahlan shook her head. Reid stepped out of the door and just stood there staring at her. She shot Hotch a look and Hotch grabbed Chuck and went to the bullpen to let Reid say whatever he needed to say without an audience.

"I'm sorry you saw that, Spencer. I didn't know you all were in there," she told him sincerely.

"It's alright. I've read about techniques like that before; I've just never seen it employed personally."

"You know, you would actually be good at it with your knowledge and your fingers. Maybe I should teach you a couple things." He scoffed. "Then the next time Derek is picking on you a little too much, you can give him a cramp from hell," she told him with a smile.

"Now, that might be worth learning," he told her with a smile as she put her hand in his arm and they went to join the others.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

When Kahlan walked into the bullpen she realized how excited everyone was to actually have a target. Mueller gave her a nod and a smile when he saw her. She smiled back at him. He probably knew she was the one to question Tenner, but no one else probably did. She went up to Chuck. "Tell Aaron I'm going home to the kids. If he wants us on the raid, go get our stuff, and I'll meet you wherever we're taking off from."

"I thought we were unofficially part of his team until this thing was over?"

"After what he saw back there, I'm not sure he'll want me doing anything with him anymore," she told him with a small smile.

"I thought you told him about your past a long time ago."

"I gave him the outline version."

He chuckled. "And the PG version, too?"

She chuckled. "Yep," she told him and made her way out of the room.

XXX

Once the plans were made, the raid was scheduled for seven the next morning. Since it would take them a little over two hours to get to the cabins, they were all going to meet in the parking garage at 4:30. Hotch called the meeting to an end and told everyone to go and get some sleep. He finally realized Kahlan wasn't there once the bullpen started to clear out. Chuck noticed him looking around and went to him. "She went home to the kids a little after the interrogation." Hotch nodded. "Do you want us on the raid?"

Hotch looked at him questioningly. "Why? What else are you two going to do?"

"Huh? Nothing. She just wasn't sure you would want us with all of the other people you have at your disposal."

Hotch studied him, but Chuck's smile always made it hard to read him. "Are you sure you don't have anything else planned?"

"Jesus Christ, Hotch. Don't you trust your wife anymore?"

Hotch took in a deep breath. "I didn't say that."

Chuck studied him. "And yet you didn't say you did." He shook his head in disgust. "She would die if she heard you say that."

Hotch suddenly felt very guilty. "I do trust her. I'm just worry about her doing something she shouldn't."

Chuck crossed his arms. "Do you want us to go or not?"

Hotch could tell by his tone that he had gotten mad. "Yes. You can stay with us at the house if you want," Hotch tried to sooth him.

"Nah. I think you two might need to talk," Chuck told him, turned on his heel, and left.

Hotch shook his head. He had the feeling Chuck was going to be calling Kahlan and telling her about the conversation before he even got to his car. _Damn it! How could I have not answered him right away?_

XXX

Hotch got home to a silent house. He realized Donna must have taken the kids with her, and Kahlan was apparently already in bed. He noticed her phone on the island. With a sigh he picked it up and checked the call log. Sure enough, Chuck's was the last call she'd received. _Oh shit!_ He shook his head.

"Really? What reason could you possibly have to go through my phone?" Kahlan asked from behind him.

Hotch jumped as soon as he heard her. "God, Kahlan. One of these times you are truly going to give me a heart attack," he tried joking with her, but he could tell by the look on her face, that she wasn't in the mood for it. "I thought you were already asleep."

"Obviously."

He sighed. "I just wanted to make sure Chuck called you to tell you what time we're heading out in the morning."

She studied him. "I don't have to go, Aaron. I trust the people who are going with you to get the job done."

He studied her. "You don't have to go, if you don't want to."

She huffed. "You know damn well that that isn't the reason I wouldn't be going."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't need to see me do anything else you can't handle, Aaron."

"I never said I couldn't handle it."

"Then why are you looking at me differently." She studied him some more. "Jesus, are you afraid of me?"

"What? Why would you ask that?"

"You answered a question with a question. You're deflecting, and you didn't answer, so the answer must be, yes."

Hotch took a deep breath. _I hate it when she profiles me!_ "Kahlan. . ."

She advanced on him and put her hand on his face. He winced slightly. "Oh my God! You are. God damn it!" She took her hand away and stepped back from him. "I knew I shouldn't have let you watch me!"

"Babe, I'm sorry. I ju. . ."

"How many times have I put my hand on the side of your face, Aaron? A few hundred, thousand? And you never once flinched until today!"

He saw tears in her eyes. "Babe. . ." He licked his lips. "I know you would never hurt me. . ."

"But I have, Aaron. Letting you see that today has hurt you just as much as that time I almost paralyzed your arm," she told him as she wiped a tear off her cheek.

He stepped up to her and tried to put his hands on her waist. "Babe. . ."

She pulled away from him. "I'm going to bed. I'll stay in the guestroom so you feel safe enough to get some sleep. I know you need it, but don't wake me in the morning. I will not be going," she told him and headed up the stairs.

He hung his head as he watched her go. _God damn it!_

XXX

Hotch was awake before his alarm even went off. He had tossed and turned all night; he just couldn't sleep in that bed without his wife by his side, and his guilty conscious wouldn't let him rest either. _ I cannot believe I flinched! Why did I flinch? I know she would never hurt me! Don't I? She's still the same woman. Knowing what she's really capable of shouldn't make that big of a difference!_ He sat up and put his head in his hands. _How the hell am I going to make this up to her?_ He got up and went to the bathroom to get ready.

He sighed as he stopped at the guestroom door, but he shook his head and went downstairs. He smiled when he saw the coffee already done, and he realized that Kahlan had set up the timer for it. He got a mug out of the cabinet and filled it. _I'll have to stop and see Dave on the way home. He'll know how to fix this._ He got his shoes on and headed out the door. As soon as he was five minutes away from the house his phone vibrated. 'Be safe,' Kahlan texted him. He shook his head. He wanted to go right back home and apologize again and straighten things out with her, but he couldn't. He had a raid to lead, and he was going to make damn sure they got every last one of them so no one else got hurt. _Besides, it's their damn fault this all happened! If they hadn't have started this whole mess, I'd still be blissfully ignorant of Kahlan's dark side._ He chuckled. _Dark side. She would find that funny!_

Hotch could see everyone's looks of concern as he pulled up and they could see Kahlan wasn't with him. Hotch noticed that Chuck wasn't concerned as much as he was mad. He took a deep breath and got out of his SUV. Chuck was on him within seconds. "What happened?" Chuck asked him quickly.

"This is not the time, Chuck," Hotch told him as he walked toward the group of team leaders.

Chuck huffed and went back to stand beside Reid and Mack. Mack looked at him questioningly. "You're not leaving are you?"

Chuck shot Hotch a dirty look. "No. Kahlan told me I had to watch his back."

"Did she say why she didn't come?" Reid asked him.

"Nope."

XXX

If looks could kill, Hotch would have been dead several times over from the looks Chuck kept giving him from the back seat of the SUV. Hotch tried to ignore him and concentrate on the task ahead, but even Morgan kept giving him sidelong looks. Hotch was really missing Rossi. _He always knows what to say to get everyone in a better mood._

They got to the appointed place, split into teams, and headed to the cabins on foot. The lush forest made traveling hard, but the thick vegetation made their approach almost silent. As it turned out, it didn't matter. The cabins were empty, and disappointment was on everyone's faces. Hotch sent the other teams home and the BAU team stayed to look over the evidence left at the scene. Hotch was silently hoping Chuck would ride back with the SWAT guys, but he stayed.

"Jesus Christ!" Morgan exclaimed as he looked over the contents of one table. Hotch went over to see what had him so upset. One glance at the table, though, and Hotch felt the same way. It was obvious that explosives had been assembled there. "They're moving up from assault rifles to bombs."

As soon as the rest of the team heard the word 'bomb', most of them joined Hotch and Morgan as the table. Chuck had several maps in his hand. "It looks like they're planning on attacking a few cities," he told them as he laid the maps out on the table. They were city maps of most of the bigger cities around the metropolitan area, including one of DC. Several places had been marked on each map.

"Damn! If they plan on hitting all of these places. . ." Morgan started.

"We'll never be able to cover them all," Mack finished.

Morgan nodded.

"It looks like they might be getting ready to hit the public transport system," Reid told them as he looked over a notebook.

"Any specific targets?" Hotch asked him, knowing Reid had probably already read the whole thing.

"No. It mentions several of the more popular stops, but it's mostly just general things about the metro system, buses, and trains in most of the cities around home."

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose. Lack of sleep and what they found was giving him a horrible headache. _And I still have to talk to Kahlan!_ Hotch heard a vehicle pull up and realized the CSI Unit had shown up. "Let's grab a few things and get them back to the bullpen," Hotch told him as he grabbed the maps Chuck had found and headed for the door. A light rain started as soon as they headed back to their SUVs. _Of course!_ Hotch thought with disgust.

XXX

Hotch walked into the bullpen and everyone quieted. He told them what they had found, and they distributed the items for the whole RRT took look at. They all started to discuss strategies and options for trying to protect what they assumed were targets. Even with every agency, Hotch didn't think they could stop the terrorists from hitting them all. He sighed deeply. _And with as long as they waited in between the first two attacks, God knows when they'll strike again._

"Jesus Christ!" An ATF man exclaimed.

"What?" Reid asked him quickly as he approached him to see what he was looking at.

"It a map marking out all of the local parks," he told him. Silence overtook the bullpen. Hotch's chest tightened. They all knew the parks were filled with kids everyday with school being out and summer sport leagues being so popular.

"Even if we closed all of the parks, that won't stop people from going to them," a SWAT guy mused.

"And we don't have enough bomb squads to check them all out every day for however long this could go on," a Homeland Security woman injected.

Hotch noticed that everyone was pissed; he didn't blame them because he was, too.

"It's bad enough to target unsuspecting adults as they go about their day, but targeting kids. . ." Another SWAT guy started as he ran a hand over his bald head.

"And we can't suggest that they close the parks down without knowing when they'll strike," a detective from the local police pointed out.

"Tenner said that the public would know their name," Mack announced.

_Son of a bitch!_ Hotch thought disgustingly. His head was really starting to pound, as he went to his office. He had a few calls to make. The whole thing was bigger than any of them suspected, and he needed those above him to know what was going on. He was almost starting to regret being put in charge, and he would let those above him decide how they should handle the threats. He grabbed his phone and called his Director.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Hotch was thoroughly disgusted as he left his office. About ten minutes after he got done giving Mueller an update, Clapper called him. The DNI didn't want anything to be said to the public or to any of the intended targets about the impending attacks. His chest tightened as he thought of all of the unsuspecting people who were in imminent danger. What bothered him the most, though, was all of the parks that were potential targets.

He knew they couldn't shut down all of the possible targets without knowing when the terrorists were going to attack again. He also knew that they couldn't put out a blanket warning to the public without causing mass panic. It was times like that when he really hated his job. As he looked at the faces around the bullpen, he knew most everyone felt the same way.

He sighed deeply as he headed to the conference room to update the team leaders. Once that was done, they started to forge a plan of action. By the time they were finished, they had split up all of the potential targets between all of the participating agencies. They would all have twenty-four hour surveillance on all of the targets, and all members of the agencies were on twenty-four/seven 'on call' status, so they could respond with as many people as they could within a moment's notice. Hotch silently prayed that it would be enough.

Hotch emerged from the conference room to let his team know the plan as the other team leaders did the same. When he got through the throng of people, he realized Kahlan was there. He gave her a small smile, trying to make up for the night before. She glanced at him, but didn't return the smile, and Hotch knew she was still upset. He heard Chuck and the rest of the team informing her of what they had found at the cabins.

"How and the hell are you all going to stop them from hitting so many places?" Kahlan asked the team. Their looks told her that they had doubts that they'd be able to. She shook her head as she took out her phone.

"Who are you calling?" Hotch asked quickly as he came up beside her.

"My family," she told him simply.

"What? You can't tell them," Hotch started.

"Excuse me?" Kahlan asked as she paused in her search through her contact list.

"You can't call them. . ."

"They need to be warned. They need to get their kids and get the hell out of dodge," she told him matter-of-factly.

"There are protocols that prevent us from sharing information like this. . ."

"I don't give a damn about your protocols," Kahlan told him coldly.

Hotch noticed most of the bullpen had quieted and was watching them. He moved his eyes toward the people around them. He did not want to have that discussion in front of everyone in the bullpen, so he tried to get her to understand what he couldn't say, but she wasn't getting it. "You don't understand. If this were to get out. . ."

"I'm not going to tell them why. I'm just going to tell them that they need to get away from the area."

The look on her face was a mix between anger and shock. Hotch licked his lips. "If this gets out, it can cause a mass panic," he tried to reason with her as he again looked at the people around them.

"I don't know about their families," she started as she gestured to the people around her. "But I know no one in my family will tell anyone. . ."

"You can't. We're not allowed to," he tried to reason with her, but he could tell she was getting mad.

"I'm not part of your agency, or any agency for that matter. I can do what the hell I want!"

"But you. . ."

She looked at Morgan. "If your family lived around here, wouldn't you want them to get the hell away from here?" Morgan shot Hotch a look, but she could tell what his answer would be. She turned to Reid. "Doesn't Amy ride the metro back and forth from work?" Reid pursed his lips and also shot a look at Hotch, but Reid nodded weakly.

"Jesus, Agent Hotchner, what good is this job if you can't use it to your advantage?"

Hotch winced when she called him Agent Hotchner; he wasn't sure she had said it to hide the fact that they were married or if she was pressing the fact that he was acting more like and agent than a father or husband. He knew she was beyond pissed, but he had his orders. He had to get her to see reason. "How is it fair if we warn our families but not the public?"

"How?" She shook her head. "You've worked this job for what, almost twenty years? And all this time you have worked to protect them!" She yelled as she pointed to the windows and the public beyond them. "Don't you think after everything you have done for them, that you deserve a little bit of an advantage to protect your own family?"

Hotch's shoulders slumped. He knew there wasn't any talking to her with as mad as she was.

"Did you even see the list of parks?" Hotch's eyes squinted; he hadn't. "Fucking kids play soccer in those parks!" She yelled and he knew she was talking about the park the boys went to on three days a week. His look of shock told her that he didn't know. She laughed, but he knew it wasn't because she found it funny. "Wow! I would have never thought you'd put this job before family. I guess we've both learned something disturbing about each other, huh?" He closed his eyes and bit his lip. "I'm going to call my sisters, and my mother. One of them will grab the kids, and they will all get the hell out of here!" She yelled and then turned to the people around her; she looked at all of them slowly. "And I feel sorry for the son of a bitch who tries to stop me!"

Hotch noticed no one was willing to try. Several people even shock their heads or held out their hands to let her know they weren't going to stop her. She huffed and looked at Reid. "Chuck will grab Amy on his way to pick up Vinnie." With one more disgusted look at Hotch, she headed to the elevator as she put her phone to her ear. Chuck quickly caught up with her, and they were gone.

"Damn, Hotchner, you better get that agent of yours on a tighter leash," a muscular SWAT officer told him coldly.

Hotch turned to him, and Morgan tensed. "You mean that woman who just left?" Hotch asked him slowly as he walked over to him.

"Yeah. Apparently someone needs to be reprimanded for not following orders," the man told him coldly.

"She's not my agent," Hotch told him as he fixed him with his stare.

He huffed. "Good. She's too psychotic to. . ."

"She's my wife!" Hotch told him as his left fist connected with the man's face; the big man dropped to the floor.

"Hotch!" Morgan yelled, ran up to him, and grabbed him.

Hotch shook him off and looked at the rest of the people around him, daring any of them to say anything.

"Alright!" Paxton yelled. "I think the day has put us all a little over the edge. Everyone needs to head out to your appointed places and report to your team leaders to get things set up."

Hotch hung his head as he walked to his office and shut the door behind him. Once his door was shut, everyone in the bullpen shared looks; they had no idea what to make of everything they had witnessed, but they all quickly left to do their jobs. Hotch sat down in his chair roughly and put his head in his hands. His headache had just doubled. That was the first fight they had ever had, and they had it at his work, in front of everyone. _Could it get any worse?_

XXX

Once Hotch had calmed down, he went to make sure the FBI had their targets covered. He was finally able to leave around nine. He went straight to the hospital. He walked to Rossi's room quietly. He wasn't sure if Rossi would be awake or not, but he had to see him. He had to tell him about everything that had happened, and he was really hoping Dave could give him some advice on how to handle things with Kahlan. He had never seen her so mad. When he added the fight onto what happened the night before, he wasn't sure if there even was a way to fix things.

As soon as he stepped into Rossi's room, he knew Kahlan had been there; he could smell her perfume. He sighed; he should have known Kahlan would have been to see Rossi especially if her mother was there. Cindi wasn't there, though, so he figured she had left with Kahlan. He thought Rossi was asleep, so he just sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"Damn, Aaron. I'm out of commission for a couple days and everything goes to shit," Dave told him with a small smile.

Hotch stood up and grabbed his hand. "God, Dave. I don't know what to do," Hotch told him weakly. "I have screwed everything up."

"Calm down, Aaron. There is nothing that can't be fixed. Sit down and tell me what happened."

Hotch nodded and sat down again. He figured Kahlan had already told Dave everything, but Hotch went ahead and gave him his account, starting with his and Chuck's conversation the previous night.

"She's not mad about what happened between you two at home," Dave started.

"Yes she is. You should have seen her face. . ."

"No. She was upset and hurt, not mad," Dave clarified. "And she had every right to be, Aaron. Do you honestly think she would ever hurt you on purpose?"

"No!" Hotch sighed. "I guess seeing her do that. . . It was just a little too much for me to process."

"Aaron. . ."

"No, Dave. If you had seen it. . . That was some scary shit."

"She's known how to do it all along, Aaron. Just because you didn't know about it, doesn't make it not so."

"I know. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me." He shook his head. "I never wanted to hurt her feelings, but it was a completely involuntary flinch; I didn't do it on purpose."

Dave actually laughed a little. "I can imagine. It was probably sort of like when every guy winces when they see another guy get wracked."

Hotch winced at the thought and then chuckled. "Yeah, I guess."

"Did you explain that to her?"

"No. She didn't give me a chance. I was going to try to talk to her tonight, but after what happened at the bullpen I'm not. . ."

"I argued with her about that." Hotch looked at him questioningly. "I told her about how your hands were tied and that it wasn't fair for her to get mad at you for following orders. She knew how you were when she married you."

Hotch shook his head slowly. "If she would have just left it or talked to me in private, it would have gone a lot differently."

Rossi raised his brows at that. "You were going to have her warn everyone?"

"I knew how she was when I married her, too," is all Hotch said.

Rossi nodded his understanding.

"She take Cindi with her?"

"Just to get the kids ready, then she's coming back here even though I told her not to. I think I finally know where Kahlan gets her stubbornness," Dave told him with a smile.

"Where is she taking them?"

Rossi looked at him questioningly. "She hasn't told you?"

"No. I haven't seen her since she stormed out of the bullpen. Why? Where are they going?" Hotch asked suddenly worried.

"I don't know. I don't think she even knew when she was here. I just figured that she'd at least text you or something."

"Maybe she's waiting until I get home," Hotch told him as he stood up.

"Probably. Go." Rossi told him as he motioned toward the door. "Go see your kids off safely and talk to your wife."

"Yeah. I better. I need to straighten this out before it gets any worse," Hotch told him as he grabbed Dave's hand. "I'll keep you posted. You need to heal fast; I need you back with me," he added seriously.

"I'm doing my best." Dave smiled. "Everything will be alright, Aaron."

"I sure hope so."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Hotch sighed deeply when he saw all of the cars in the driveway. _Thank God!_ Kahlan's, Chuck's, and Cindi's cars were there, so he knew they hadn't sent the kids away yet. He also noticed a big SUV that he hadn't seen before. There wasn't any room left in the driveway, so he parked along the street and started for the porch. Wyatt met him before he got there. "What happened?" Wyatt asked him as soon as he was within arm's reach.

"What has your mother said?"

Wyatt pursed his lips. "We know about the terrorists. I want to know what she did."

"What do you mean?"

"When she got home, we could tell she was upset. . ."

"I know. She was mad. . ."

"No, not mad, but we could tell something was bothering her, and Joey asked her about it."

"What's she say?"

"That she had said some things that she shouldn't have, but she wouldn't say what or to whom."

"I'm not sure. When she left me, she was mad at me. It's hard to say what happened after that," Hotch told him honestly.

"Why would she be mad at you?"

Hotch took a deep breath. "She. . ." He shook his head. "She disagreed with me about something."

Wyatt studied him. "It must be you she was talking about. Apparently she thought about what happened and realized she was wrong."

Hotch smiled at his perceptiveness. "Well, we better get in there. You're sure she's not mad?"

Wyatt smiled. "I think she's mad at herself."

Before Hotch could get in the door, Joey jumped into his arms. "Daddy! We were hoping you'd get home before we had to leave."

"I'm glad I did, Angel. I was worried about being too late," he told her as he pulled her into a tight hug.

She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. "I don't wanna leave," she told him as she pouted.

He carried her into the dining room to join everyone else. Kahlan wasn't in there, though. "I know, Angel. I wish you guys didn't have to leave either, but. . ." Hotch started.

"You want to protect us," Jack finished for him. Hotch gave him a small smile.

"Yep, once all of you are safely away, we can concentrate on stopping these guys," Chuck told them. Vinnie, Amy, and Cindi smiled.

"Exactly," Hotch agreed as he sat Joey down. "Where's Kahlan?" He asked the group.

"Upstairs getting Joey's stuff ready," Cindi told him. She followed him to the stairs.

"Donna and everyone is meeting up with Chuck in Winchester," she told him.

He nodded. He had figured Kahlan had talked all of her sisters into getting their families away, too. "Is she still mad at me?" Hotch asked his mother-in-law.

She looked at him confusingly. "I thought you were the one who was mad."

"What? She said that?"

"Well. . . No, but. . . With what she told me and Dave, I just thought you were the one to get mad. She never actually said you were."

"What did she. . ." Hotch stopped when Kahlan started coming down the stairs. Cindi quickly went back to the dining room to let them talk. Hotch waited for Kahlan to reach him. "Where are you taking them?"

She stopped on the last step and looked him in the eye. "I'm not taking them anywhere. Chuck is taking them to the Poconos, but he is coming back once he gets them settled."

"Poconos? Pennsylvania?"

"Yeah, don't you think that's far enough away?"

"That should be fine. Are you. . ."

"I think we need to see them off now," she told him as she stepped down and went past him.

He sighed and followed her.

"Alright, everyone needs to get loaded up." Chuck said as he clapped his hands once and then grabbed a few of the bags set by the door.

Hotch quickly grabbed a few of the others and followed Chuck out the door. "Alright, exactly how mad is she?"

Chuck opened the back of the SUV and started loading the bags. "What do you mean?"

"Come on. You saw how pissed she was when she left the BAU," Hotch told him as he handed him the bags he was holding.

"Oh, don't worry. She got over that pretty quickly," he told him with a smile. "I think you two need to talk, though."

Hotch was going to ask him what he meant, but the boys brought out the rest of the stuff and everyone else started out of the house, too. Jack put the bags in the back and then Hotch pulled him into a hug. "Make sure you watch out for Joey up there in those mountains. Try to keep her from going up too high in those trees."

Jack laughed. "I'll try. You try to keep Mom out of trouble."

Hotch laughed. "I'll try. Somehow, though, I think my job will be easier than yours." He let him go and fixed him and Wyatt with a look. "You two need to keep track of all of the girls. I'm counting on you two to watch over them." They nodded and Wyatt took his turn at hugging him.

"Don't worry about it, Dad. We got this," Wyatt told him with a smile.

"I know. You two are the best."

Chuck shut the back of the SUV. "And please, please, try to make sure Vinnie doesn't do anything too crazy," he told the boys with a smile. Vinnie may have been into extreme sports, but she was five months pregnant, and he was worried.

Wyatt laughed. "Yeah right!"

Jack laughed, too. "We can't perform miracles, Uncle Chuck."

Hotch laughed, too, and tussled both of the boys' hair. "Get in and get buckled up," he told them and moved to grab Joey who was trying to climb in the front passenger seat. "I don't think so," he told her as he pulled her to him. "You ride in the middle with Aunt Amy," he told her as he tickled her and she squirmed.

"Awww. You never let me ride up front," Joey told him with her Hotch stare.

He laughed at her trying to use his own look against him. "Nope. Not until you're a lot bigger. You better be good and listen to your aunts, uncles, and brothers, and don't go trying to bring any wildlife home, either." She giggled. "I love you, Angel."

"I love you more!" She told him and leaned in to give him a butterfly kiss on the cheek.

He gave her a kiss on the cheek and put her in her booster seat. Kahlan went around and kissed and hugged the kids and then hugged everyone else goodbye. Chuck got in and after all goodbyes were said, he pulled out to get them all safely away from the terrorists.

"I'm going back to see Dave," Cindi told Hotch and Kahlan.

Kahlan pulled her into a hug. "Please be careful." She told her and they watched her leave, too. She turned to Hotch "I'm glad you got here before they left," she told him and started for the house.

"Me, too. I was worried you had already sent them away."

She shook her head as she went in the door.

He shut the door, quickly caught up with her going toward the family room, and grabbed her shoulder to turn her to face him. "What are you shaking your head for?"

"You actually think I would send them away without giving you a chance to say goodbye?"

He studied her. He didn't see or hear any anger, but he wasn't sure what mood she was in. "With as mad as you were, I wasn't sure what you were going to do."

She winced. "I am very sorry about that. I was. . ."

"If you wouldn't have been so damn pig headed. . ." He shook his head. "I can't believe you actually thought I would put my job before family."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I heard what those assholes were going to do, and when I saw that list of parks. . ." She turned away from him. "My anger got out of control." She took a deep breath and turned back to him. Her eyes were filled with tears. "I will apologize to everyone who was there, and then apologize to you in front of them. I had no right to argue with you there," she told him as a tear fell down her cheek.

He reached up, put his hand on the side of her face, and wiped the tear away with his thumb. "I'm sorry I didn't handle it differently."

She huffed and pulled away from him. "That was not your fault! If I wasn't a complete bitch then I would have realized what you were trying to signal to me." She shook her head. "I shouldn't have even gone back in there. Other than to apologize, I won't bother you at work again."

"If you didn't see the signals, then how do you know I was trying to send them?"

She laughed a little. "Because Chuck lit into me as soon as we were in the elevator. He made sure to let me know exactly wrong I was."

He raised his brows. _Really? Chuck stood up for me? _"I thought you were supposed to be helping me with this."

"I didn't think you'd want me doing anything else."

He shook his head. "I never said that. You were the one who chose not to go on the raid."

"I've screwed up things bad enough just by questioning someone. I didn't want ruin things by allowing you to see me do something else you can't handle."

"You think you could ruin this?" He asked as he grabbed her waist and pulled her to him.

"Yeah. I damaged it enough without even meaning to."

His shoulders slumped a little. "You did not. I'm sorry. It was an involuntary flinch."

She shook her head. "One you wouldn't have had if you hadn't seen me question him. Now, every time I go to touch you, you're going to see what I did in your mind. How is that not damaging our relationship?"

"No I won't."

She raised her brows at him. "You wouldn't be able to stop that from happening any more than you could have stopped an involuntary flinch."

"So you're going to stop touching me?" He asked her desperately as he realized she hadn't touched him since he'd flinched. He noticed her hands were in her back pockets, too. "That's not fair, Kahlan. I do trust you. I would give anything to not have flinched!"

She studied him a moment. "Are you sure you can handle knowing what I can do?" She asked him and he could hear the hopefulness in her voice. "Are you sure you're not having second thoughts about how you feel for me?"

He stepped up to her again. "It's not whether I can handle it or not, Kahlan." He put his hands around her waist again. "While I feel you still have a lot of surprises in store for me, I know I can trust you, and I know I love you." He lifted her chin to make her look him in the eyes. "Even if I can't believe what you can do, or even if it scares me a little, the love I have for you is stronger than anything that I might not be able to handle at first." He leaned down and gently kissed her and then smiled. "Nothing could ever make me love you less."

She reached up slowly and rubbed her thumbs over his dimples. "That's good, because I don't think I could live without your love." She pulled him down and kissed him passionately. "You know, pressure points and nerves aren't just for causing pain and discomfort," she told him with a sly grin.

"Oh yeah? What else can they do?"

She flicked her brows, grabbed his tie, and pulled him toward the stairs. "Maybe if I show you the other side of the techniques I know, it will help you see past what you've already witnessed."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Hotch awoke to the sun shining through his bedroom window. He smiled when he realized that Kahlan was still in his arms. He glanced at the alarm clock, 6:07. He didn't have to get up yet, so he closed his eyes and reveled in his memories of the night before. Kahlan had shown him several things that had pleasantly surprised him. At one point in time, he had felt his eyes rolling into the back of his head as waves of pleasure went through him in a way he had never experienced before. He would have asked her how it had happened, but at that particular time he wasn't exactly interested in talking. It had left him covered with goose bumps and more turned on than he had ever been before, and the only thing he was worried about was his savage need to make love to his wife and try to please her as much as she was pleasing him.

He felt his manhood twitch with the memories. _No. Behave yourself. You got enough last night to last the week. _He smiled. _Or the next month._ Kahlan started to stretch, and he knew she was waking up. She finally opened her eyes and smiled at him. He smiled back at her. "Hey you."

"Hey, yourself. You sleep well?" She asked as she scooted back up against him.

"Oh yeah," he told her and leaned down to kiss her on the head.

She smiled again and looked at the clock. "What's on the agenda today? Does the team have to preform surveillance on any of the targets?"

"No. We are in charge of profiling the group and trying to figure out what we can about them. We have to see if we figure out where these guys are."

She moved to sit up at the head of the bed. "How long had the cabins been empty?"

"Not very long. Why?" He asked as he sat up, too.

"You going to question Tenner again?"

He studied her. "You want to question him again?"

She chuckled. "Nah, I think it would just as effective if you just threatened him with a return visit from me before you started to question him."

He laughed. "You're probably right. He might have something else we can use, but if the leader of this group kept everything hidden from his men, I don't think Tenner would know a whole lot about future plans. He could give us the background information needed to build a profile, though."

"So do you want me to do anything specific?"

He smiled. "I hear that you're the expert on finding people."

She furrowed her brows. "Chuck told you that?"

"Yep, and you found Demitri while every other person had no idea where he was."

"A lot of good it did me," she told him dryly as she got out of bed.

Hotch got out and grabbed her and turned her to face him. "But you found him. Had you actually had backup, things would have ended a lot differently."

She nodded. "That's true. Who did you want to find?"

"After questioning Tenner, I hope to have a few targets."

"You going to babysit me?"

He chuckled. "Nah. I hope Chuck will be back by the time you're needed." She raised her brows in surprise. "What? I trust you. I know you'll call for backup if it's needed."

"Of course I will," she told him with a smile.

"And taking them alive will give us more people to question," he emphasized. She winked as she went to the bathroom.

"Oh, you mean you don't want me to be too pig headed?" She joked. He winced at his previous choice of words. She laughed. "I think you're spending too much time with Mike."

He smiled. His brother-in-law were a little country, funny as hell, but more country than he had ever been. He liked it when Kahlan's extended family was around. They were ordinary people with ordinary jobs, and they were a refreshing change to most of the people he had to deal with at the bureau.

XXX

After mentioning to Tenner that Kahlan would gladly meet with him again, he had given them several names of other Rebellion members. He had also told them where he and several of the men were from. He gave them all he knew about Han and everywhere they had been since he had joined the group over two months ago.

By the end of the day, Hotch and the team were working on a profile of the group and their leader. Kahlan and Chuck were also hunting several of the members. By eleven that night, they had their first suspect in custody. By midnight, they knew what the next target was going to be.

The whole team sat around the conference room table in silence; none of them wanted to believe that the terrorists were actually planning on using explosives at parks filled with families and children. The brief silence was broken when Morgan slammed a fisted hand down on the table. "I can't believe these sons of bitches are actually going to hit the parks!"

"We need to get SWAT and everyone in place," Hotch started as he looked at his watch. He looked at Garcia. "Have the team leaders here within thirty minutes. We need to have everything in place by six." Garcia nodded and got up to go get things rolling. Kahlan got up and started for the door behind her. "Where are you going?" Hotch asked her as he stood up.

She smiled. "I have an idea," is all she said and left.

Morgan shot Hotch a look, and Hotch shot Chuck a look. "I don't know," Chuck told them as he shrugged.

By the time Hotch stepped out of the conference room, Kahlan was nowhere to be seen. As he walked to his office, he silently thanked God that the kids were safe in Pennsylvania. Tomorrow would have been one of the days the boys played soccer at one of the targeted parks.

By the time Hotch was done getting everything set up with the team leaders, Kahlan was back. "Are you going home?" Kahlan asked from his doorway. Her voice startled him, and she chuckled.

He looked at his watch, 1:47. They only had a little over three hours to be in place to stake out the parks, but he knew he shouldn't go home beucase he didn't think that he'd actually be able to get any sleep. He also knew, though, that he couldn't just sit around in his office and wait for the time to come. Kahlan walked over and stood behind his chair. She started rubbing the tension out of his neck as if she could tell what he was thinking. He groaned and bent his head down to let her access his stiff muscles even better. "I don't think going home would do much good," he told her as she moved to massage his shoulders.

"Then let's go take a drive or something. Staying here will just add to your tension."

He groaned again as she used her knuckles to work out a particularly stubborn spot in his right trapezius muscle. Once the offending muscle finally relaxed, he turned to look at her. "And where would you want to drive to?"

"Wherever. Do we have to have a destination to just take a relaxing ride in the car? We haven't done that since before Joey was born."

"Oh. I thought maybe you had a specific place in mind since you disappeared for almost an hour." She pinched one of the muscles along his spine. He jumped even though it didn't really hurt. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Why do you always think I have an ulterior motive for everything I do?"

He chuckled. "Because you almost always do."

She cuffed him lightly on the back of the head. "That's not fair." She went around him and he ducked his head because he thought she was going to hit him again. She chuckled and reached down to grab his hand. "Come on," she told him as pulled him into a standing position.

"Only if you tell me where you went and what you did."

She smiled. "All you had to do was ask."

"And yet you're not answering."

She pulled him out of his office. "I'll tell you in the car," is all she said as she let his hand go and headed for the elevator.

Reid and Mack saw Kahlan and Hotch and then looked at Chuck questioningly. "What?"

"Where are they going?" Mack asked him as they watched the couple disappear behind the closing elevator door.

Chuck shook his head. "Why do you all always think I know what she's doing?"

"You mean you don't have some sort of secret connection that allows you two to always know what the other is doing?" Morgan joked as he came up behind them.

Chuck huffed. "That would be scary." They all laughed.

XXX

Hotch finally fixed Kahlan with a sideways look as he drove down the basically empty road away from Quantico. "So?"

Kahlan smiled. "I called in a couple favors to try and make the parks less crowded tomorrow."

He sighed. _Well, that explains it._ "And?"

"I know a certain person at the health department. Apparently several young boys have come down with Mono, and it is her duty to make sure all recreational sports are cancelled until they can look into it further."

Hotch smiled. That would keep a lot of families out of the parks for the rest of the week at least. "And what else have you done?"

"That wasn't enough?" She asked him innocently.

"Not when you said 'favors', as in plural," he told her as he reached over and held her hand.

She chuckled. "I also know a certain man at the weather center."

"And?"

"Apparently the air quality is going to get dangerously low tomorrow."

"And since it's supposed to be overcast, that will actually be believable," he told her with a smile and brought up her hand and kiss the back of it. "Have I told you lately how amazing you are?"

She giggled. "Ummmmm. No."

He chuckled. "You are an amazing woman Kahlan Hotchner."

"Yeah, but only because I have an amazing husband." She pulled his hand to her and kissed the back of it.

XXX

By the time they got back to the BAU, Hotch had relaxed a little more. They had driven to the Potomac River and walked hand and hand along its bank until it was time to get back. They found Mack asleep at her desk, Reid asleep at his, and Chuck asleep on the couch in Hotch's office. "Is he going to attack me if I wake him up?" Hotch asked Kahlan in a whisper.

"He's not asleep."

"He's snoring. He has to be asleep."

She smiled. "Watch this." She reached grabbed a piece of waded up paper out of Hotch's trash and threw it at Chuck's face. He caught it effortlessly. Hotch's look of shock made Kahlan laugh. "Told you."

Hotch shook his head. "You two are really scary sometimes."

Chuck smiled. "How could anyone sleep knowing what we're facing?" He asked as he stood up and stretched.

"Reid and Mack don't seem to be having a problem," Hotch told him.

Chuck looked out the door and smiled. "Ahhh, to be young again," he told them wistfully as he headed out to wake the younger agents up.

Hotch shook his head. "Yeah, because he's so old." Kahlan laughed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

By six in the morning, there were several nondescript vans and other vehicles parked around the targeted parks in Virginia, Maryland, and DC. There weren't enough SWAT units to cover every park that was targeted, so several of the parks were being watched by groups of agents from all of the corresponding agencies. Hotch and Reid were in Hotch's car parked along the street beside Signal Hill Park in Manassas, Virginia; Morgan and Mack were in Morgan's car in the parking lot of Anacostia Park in DC; Kahlan and Chuck were walking around Lake Anne Park in Reston, VA. They were all silently hoping the day turned out to be a waste of time. Hotch knew, though, that the man they had questioned was telling the truth, but a small part of him was hoping that the leader of the group had found out about the capture of his man and changed his plans.

The parks were definitely not busy, but it was early and the overcast sky looked to be threatening rain even if the weather man said there wouldn't be any. Hotch smiled to himself. He couldn't see any of the soccer teams that would normally be there getting ready for the day's games. Apparently Kahlan's scheme had worked with the organized rec groups.

Hotch was pulled from his thoughts when Reid tensed in his seat. Hotch looked around the park quickly. He couldn't see anything that could have upset the young man, though. "What?" He asked him.

"There was a family over there by those blankets and that cooler," Reid told him as he pointed to where he was referring.

Hotch looked at the cooler sitting on the blanket and whoever owned it wasn't anywhere in the vicinity. Hotch opened his door and started to get out.

Reid started to get out, too. "If there are explosives in there, then those people at the pavilion could be in danger." Hotch started walking toward the cooler. "Hotch! You can't go near it. We have to call the bomb squad."

"Reid! Keep it down. I'm just going to get a closer look. We don't need to call the bomb squad just to find out it's full of soda and salads," Hotch told him as he scanned the pavilion. Apparently someone was having a family get together.

"Please don't get too close," Reid pleaded. Hotch shot him a look. Before he could get close enough, though, a young girl ran over to the cooler, opened it, and grabbed a juice box. Hotch and Reid both let out the breath they had been holding.

Hotch shook his head. "At least it's nice to know they aren't actually using families in this mess," he told Reid as he headed back to his car with Reid following close behind.

XXX

Two hours later, and Hotch almost dozing off from the lack of activity, their phones went off. He took it out and quickly read the text. It was an alert telling everyone of an explosion at a park in Vienna, Virginia. _Son of a bitch!_ One explosion probably meant more as the day progressed. He took a deep breath and his phone went off again. That time, though, it was a message from a Homeland Security team at a park in DC. They had apprehended three men as they tried to place a backpack containing C4 beside the park's pool.

Suddenly his phone didn't stop vibrating as several messages came through asking for bomb squads to check out several backpacks that had been left in various locations. Hotch and Reid quickly scanned their park for any unattended bags. With as empty as their park was, it was easy to see that all bags were close to their owners.

Hotch silently prayed for the bomb squads to be able to handle all of the reported bags before any more explosions hurt any more people. Hotch's phone rang. He saw it was Garcia and quickly answered it. "You're on speaker, Garcia," Hotch told her.

"First, reports from the explosion in DC are coming in. Looks like only two people wounded. Apparently the blast wasn't very big."

"Good. Maybe these guys didn't have that much C4," Reid mused.

"Hopefully, but I also need to tell my liege that Double-O and her sidekick have split up and they are on their way to inspect a couple bags at other parks."

"What?" Hotch asked quickly.

"There aren't enough bomb units to handle them all. Double-O is heading to Centerville and Chuckles is heading to Leesylvania."

"I'm going to kill her!" Hotch exclaimed as he started his car. He took one more look around the empty park. Something in him told him that nothing was going to happen at that park, so he put the vehicle in reverse and left. He wasn't sure who would get there first, but he wasn't about to let Kahlan do anything stupid.

"Does she have experience with explosives?" Reid asked him as he put on his seatbelt.

"She's mentioned she'd blown things up, but I have no idea how extensive her knowledge is," Hotch admitted.

XXX

By the time Hotch had reached the park in Centerville, he saw Kahlan putting a backpack in her trunk. He pulled up beside her as she shut the trunk. He jumped out and fixed her with a look. She looked around to see if the look was actually directed at her. "What?"

"Are you trying to cause me to have a heart attack?" Hotch asked her using his stare.

"What? It was so rudimentary that even Mack could have disarmed it. All I did was pull out the blasting caps." He shook his head in frustration. "And don't give me that. I told you about that in the beginning."

"You said you've blown things up, that doesn't mean you know how to disarm a bomb. How did you know that it wasn't rigged to explode when you touched it?"

She chuckled. "Really? You honestly thing a bunch of rednecks are going to be that sophisticated?"

"She does have a valid point," Reid injected but quickly shut up when Hotch fixed him with his stare.

"Did you by chance see. . ." Hotch started as Kahlan's phone vibrated.

"Go ahead Pen. You're on speaker," Kahlan told her as she held out her phone so they could all hear what the tech had to say.

"There's been a massive explosion at the Leesylvania State Park. Chuckles was on with my Puddin Cup when the call dropped," Garcia told them quickly. Puddin cup was her pet name for Cameron. They could all hear the fear in her voice. "Puddin's on his way there now."

"Call Cam and tell him we're on our way!" Kahlan told her and got in her car.

Hotch threw his keys to Reid and jumped in with Kahlan. She was pulling out of the spot before he even got the door shut.

"Chuck's fine," he tried to assure her and silently prayed it was true.

"He better be, or I'll kill him," she told him as she pulled out onto the road and sped her way toward the park on the Potomac River.

XXX

By the time Kahlan got there, everything was in chaos. Fire trucks, ambulances, and police were everywhere. The park had been packed with several church groups holding Vocational Bible School there the whole week. Kahlan parked and they jumped out to find Cam and Chuck. Hotch felt bile rise up in his throat as he took in all the wounded and dead. He pulled out his badge and asked a young police officer who was in charge. "I think the highest ranking person here is Sargent Thomas over there by pavilion," the young man told him. Hotch noticed blood on the man's pants and shirt. He thanked him and went to the pavilion.

Kahlan quickly followed him but stopped when she finally saw Cameron talking to several fire fighters. "Cam!" She yelled as soon as she thought he could hear her over all of the noise.

Cameron turned around and winced when he saw who it was. "God, Kay! I can't find him anywhere!"

"What?!"

"They said the first explosion was over by that pavilion, but then there were several throughout the park all at once. . ."

"Calm down, Cam. We'll find him."

Cameron took a couple deep breaths and nodded. "I checked the wounded, but I. . ."

Suddenly another explosion shot dirt and debris into the air about two hundred yards away from where they were standing.

"Jesus Christ!" Kahlan yelled as she instinctively ducked. She looked back to where she had left Hotch just to make sure he was alright. He locked eyes with her; apparently he was checking on her, too. They nodded at each other and went back to what they were doing. "Help lead these people out of here! I'll search for Chuck," she told Cam quickly as she took in several families looking too scared to move. He nodded and ran for them, and she took off running toward the main part of the park.

After instructing several young police officers to help direct the families out of the park to small regional air strip across the main parking lot, Kahlan headed toward the river. She stopped when her phone went off. She took it out of her pocket and saw that it was Hotch telling her to come to the playground ASAP. She winced. She really didn't want to know what her husband had found that needed her attention so badly. After quickly looking around, she saw the bright colors of the plastic slides and took off running toward them hoping there wasn't more than one playground.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she got closer. Even with all of the chaos, she could hear screaming. It wasn't the screaming of a mother looking for a child, or the screaming of emergency personnel trying to get things organized, it was a high pitched gut wrenching screams of a child in severe pain. She sped up and found Hotch kneeling on the ground beside the mangled remains of a jungle-gym. Kahlan had to fight the urge to throw up as she took the tiny body of a girl who couldn't have been much older than Joey.

Hotch was holding the child's hand with one hand and pressing on a massive gaping wound that ran down most of her left leg. He was trying to sooth the girl with kind words of comfort, but she was too lost in the pain to hear anything. Kahlan ran up to him and place a hand on his back to let him know she was there. "I'll go get a medic," she told him quickly and turned on the balls of her feet to run off.

"You've got to help her," He demanded through clenched teeth.

"But. . ." She started and then went to her knees beside him as her hands joined his on the wounded limb.

"Stop her pain," Hotch told her quietly with pleading eyes.

"What? How?" She asked him.

"Do that thing you do."

She shook her head violently as her eyes filled up with tears. "No, Aaron. I couldn't." She looked around hoping a medic was within sight. There wasn't.

They could barely hear each other over the girls screams. "But. . ." Hotch started.

"God, Hun. Please," she shook her head again. "No. That would. . . It wou. . . she'd. . ."

"She's going to lose it anyways," he tried again as the girl thrashed a little.

"I've never done it to a kid before. Please, no," Kahlan pleaded as tears fell down her cheeks.

"But you'd be helping her."

She swallowed hard as she studied his face. She turned to look at the girl's face; it was scrunched up in pain, and she felt her heart break. She knew that if it had been Joey lying there, that she would want someone to stop her pain, so she finally nodded. Her hands shook as she pulled the child's lower half into her lap. She closed her eyes and let her fingers find the required spots and within seconds the screaming ceased. The little girl's face showed the shock she felt, and she actually smiled up at both Hotch and Kahlan as she breathed heavily.

"Just hang on," Hotch told her with a small smile. "Help's on the way." The little girl nodded, and Kahlan laid her gently on the ground again. Hotch looked at Kahlan. "I'll go get a medic."

"No!" the girl yelled as she fisted a hand in Hotch's shirt.

"I'll go," Kahlan told him quickly and got up. She ran in the directions of where she had last seen one.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Hotch and Kahlan watched the medics load Sarah, the little girl Hotch had found, into a waiting ambulance. Kahlan took a deep breath and Hotch grabbed her hand. "You ok?"

"I need to find Chuck," she told him as she let him pull her into a hug.

_You didn't answer the question. _He sighed as he rubbed a hand down her back. "I know, but are you going to be ok?"

"I need to find Chuck," she told him again as she pulled away from him.

"Go. I need to make sure. . ."

"I know," she told him and took off running toward the other side of the park.

He shook his head and started for the throng of people who were trying to get everything under control. There hadn't been another explosion, but there was still a general feel of panic throughout the park.

Kahlan went to the river. It was one of the few places she couldn't see clearly when she had arrived. Several emergency personnel were helping to clear debris from one of the fishing piers that had been destroyed. Her breath hitched in her chest when she noticed an arm sticking out from under one of the broken pylons in the water. Her heart started racing as two firemen waded into the water to retrieve the body, but she let out the breath she'd been holding when it was obvious that it wasn't Chuck. She felt bad for whoever it was, but she was glad it wasn't Chuck. She took a deep breath and silently prayed that she'd find her longtime friend unharmed as she headed further down the shore of the river.

After she had walked about a hundred yards, automatic gun fire rang out. _Son of a bitch! _She thought as she instinctively ducked.

Hotch and every other law enforcement officer also instinctively ducked and drew their weapons. They were all looking around trying to figure out where the shots had come from, but the trees and the hills disguised the sounds enough that none of them could pinpoint its location.

_Charles Leroy Lane!_ Kahlan mentally screamed. Something in her told her Chuck was linked to the shots. Being basically in the woods, Kahlan knew where the shots came from. She took off running up the trail head.

Hotch looked around for his wife. He didn't see her and his stomach twisted. _Clam down! She can take care of herself!_ _She's ok. She's ok_; he had to keep telling himself so he could concentrate on getting everything under control.

Kahlan could hear someone yelling as she got closer to a rise in the trail, so she slowed to stealthfully walk through the woods to outflank whoever it was. Once she got around a thicket of bushes, her heart leaped; Chuck was alive! He was busy trying to wrestle an M4 from a burly man, though, and Kahlan actually felt sorry for the man by the look on Chuck's face. She knew Chuck was pissed. Chuck hardly ever got pissed, and she knew the shots she had heard had been aimed at Chuck.

Suddenly two more men came running down the side of the hill towards the fighting men. Kahlan wasn't worried until she saw one that of the men raised a gun and aimed at the wrestling men. "Three o'clock!" She yelled, and Chuck turned just in time to use the man he'd been fighting with as a human shield. The man took a three shot burst to the back, and Chuck pulled the gun he was fighting for out of the dying man's hands and turned it on the approaching men. Chuck pulled the trigger once as Kahlan threw a knife she had hidden at her waist. Both men went down before they could even figure out what they had gotten themselves into.

Chuck turned and smiled at Kahlan. "It's about time. . ."

She advanced on him quickly and cuffed him the back of the head. "You stupid idiot! If you ever scare me like that again, I swear, I will kill you myself!"

He laughed and swallowed her in a hug that lifted her off the ground. "Awww, were you worried about me?"

She chuckled and hugged him back. "Maybe just a little."

He sat her down as the man he shot moaned. They walked to him. "At least I took mine alive," he told her with another smile. The shot had caught the man in the thigh.

She looked at the man she had targeted. "Look again," she told Chuck with her own smile.

Chuck quickly looked at the man she was referring to. He was lying on his back with a big goose egg sticking out on his forehead. He laughed as he realized she had hit the man with the butt of the knife to just knock him out. "Show off!" He went to the man he had shot and rolled him over onto his back roughly, reached into the side pocket of his cargo pants, pulled out a zip-tie, and secured the man's hands behind his back. "You got a tie?" He asked Kahlan as he went to the other man.

"No, but you can use this," she told him as she took off a braided bracelet off her left wrist and threw it at him.

He quickly broke the plastic clasp and started to unwind the paracord. "I bet most people don't even know the real reason for these things," he told her as he grabbed her knife that had fallen to the ground, cut off a piece of the paracord, and tied the still unconscious man's hands together.

"Probably not," she told him as she caught her knife as he threw it to her. "Wake him up before someone comes."

He smiled. "You gonna question him here?"

"Yeah, and I don't want Aaron to see it," she told him with an evil grin as she went to the first man Chuck had secured. She turned him over to face her with her foot and then leaned down next to him. Her heart ached when she realized how young the man was. He couldn't have been much over fifteen, and she knew his father had probably dragged him into the fight. "What's your name son?"

The young man swallowed hard. "Tommy Jones."

"That your dad?" She asked as she gestured to the other man they had captured.

Tommy shook his head and looked at the dead man lying not too far from them. "He is."

Kahlan's heart ached even more for the boy. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Bill killed him. I told him not to shot. I told him he might hit my dad, but he didn't care. He. . . He. . ." He broke down crying.

"Take him down to Aaron," she told Chuck as she helped the boy up into a standing position.

Chuck looked at her and then at the man who was starting to wake up. By the look on her face, he could tell that Kahlan was mad, and he almost felt sorry for the man she was about to question. He nodded to her and picked up the boy in a fireman's carry. He would have made any man walk, even with being shot, but he couldn't bring himself to be mean against the young man.

The man on the ground was fully awake by the time Chuck had disappeared into the woods. He rolled himself over and looked around franticly. Kahlan was sitting on a fallen tree, staring at him. He gave her a dirty look. "What are you looking at bitch?"

She smiled. "Why must every man, when he's afraid of a woman, call her a bitch?"

"I'm not afraid of you!" He demanded as he got himself into a sitting position.

She giggled through her nose. "You should be."

He huffed and struggled to get out of his binds, but Chuck had tied the cord expertly. "What are you, a cop?"

She laughed. "Nope," is all she told him as she got up and slowly walked to him. "What's your name?"

He eyed her coldly. "Like I'd tell you!"

She quickly brought up her foot and slammed into down onto his left thigh. His femur snapped and he screamed in pain. She went behind him quickly and put her hand over his mouth so silence him. She didn't want anyone to be able to find them. "I'll ask you one more time," she whispered in his ear.

He nodded quickly and she took her hand away from his mouth as he gasped for air, trying to breathe past the pain in his leg. "Bill. William Martins."

"Good boy," she told him and tasseled his hair. She figured the man was older than her, but she loved humiliating men who thought they were tougher than they actually were.

"You can't do this!" he demanded.

She could see fear in his eyes, and it made her smile.

"What are you, a fed?"

She knew he was searching for a reason for her to not be able to treat him so badly. "Nope. I'm just a mother who got really pissed off when I got to witness what one of your explosions did to a little girl!" She told him through clenched teeth as she felt her anger starting to boil over.

He looked on the verge of panic.

"Who is in charge of your little group?"

"Never!"

"You know, there are over two hundred bones in the adult body," she started as she stood up and moved in front of him with a wicked smile on her face. "And I can break about ninety percent of them without a weapon."

His eyes went wide and he tried to scoot back away from her, but he didn't get very far as the pain in his thigh stopped him. A whimper escaped him as he tried to make his leg more comfortable. "You wouldn't!"

She raised her brows. "Try me," she told him simply as she got closer to him.

He swallowed hard and she could tell he was trying to decide what to do. He didn't answer quickly enough, she kicked him in his upper chest. His right collar bone snapped under the pressure and another scream escaped him as he fell to the ground. "Alright!" he yelled as soon as he could and she went to stand close to him.

"I'm waiting!"

"James," he started as he breathed heavily. "James Dunn."

She studied him. "Is that the idiot who you all call 'Han'?"

He nodded his head quickly.

Suddenly she heard Hotch yelling her name and she winced. She reached down and grabbed the man's shirt making sure to agitate the broken clavicle. "This didn't happen. You fell down the hill when you were trying to get away!" She told him venomously. He nodded again quickly and she pulled him up into a standing position. He screamed as the move put too much pressure on his broken leg.

Suddenly two uniformed police officers came over the rise. She shoved the prisoner over to them, and they caught him as he fell. "Careful. I think he might have broken his leg," she told them with feigned pity. They nodded and started to take him down to the trail as Hotch and several other people came into the clearing.

Hotch eyed the prisoner warily and looked at his wife.

"What?" She asked innocently.

He raised his brows at her and she knew that he knew exactly what had happened.

"He fell," she told him simply.

"No doubt," he told her as he went to her. "Are you alright?" he asked her quickly as he took in the dead man lying not too far off.

She took a deep breath. "I'm fine," she assured him with smile.

He looked back toward the man who was being escorted down the hillside. "You get anything useful?"

"Of course," she told him with a wink and started out of the clearing.

He shook his head and followed her.

XXX

By the time the team was back at the BAU, Garcia was already running down everything she could find on James Dunn. Hotch sat in his office and pinched the bridge of his nose. The day's activities had left him with a headache. The blinking message light on his desk phone told him he had a recorded message, so he picked up the receiver and pressed the keys to hear whatever had been left for him. His headache got worse as he realized he was listening to the proclaimed leader of the Rebellion:

'We have attacked the parks to show you exactly how serious we are. Maybe once you all see how many innocent children have died, you will believe us. We want change, and we will not stop until we get it.' The voice paused and Hotch could hear paper rustling. _Is he going to actually demand whatever change he's seeking?_ 'We want you to fear us Agent Hotchner.' Hotch's brows furrowed. He didn't like that the man knew his name. _He apparently knows I'm in charge. Shit!_ He knew that that meant there was a leak somewhere, and that thought made his free hand ball into a fist. 'Once the government puts an end to all of the wrongs against the American people, we will stop.' _What wrongs? _'Until that happens, expect more bloodshed,' and the message ended. Hotch slammed the fist down on his desk. _You crazy bastard! Do you even know what you want?_ He hung up and then dialed Garcia. He was pretty sure the call had come from an untraceable phone, but he had to at least try.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

By the end of the day, the results of the attacks on the parks were actually better than what they could have been. Other than the explosions at Leesylvania, there was only two other explosions. Most of the bombs were taken care of before they could go off, and the two that did go off only slightly wounded three people. Leesylania was a complete different story; four total explosions left sixteen people wounded and twelve people dead. Throughout all of the parks, a total of nine terrorists were captured and four were killed. _Not a bad day for the good guys_, Morgan thought as the whole team looked over all of the reports in the conference room of the BAU. The day's biggest disappointment came from Garcia. With the little information she could find on James Dunn, they all knew that it was an alias. That meant that either the man had never given his real name to the men under him, or that the man Kahlan had gotten the name from was lying. Morgan sighed heavily. He doubted that Martins had lied; he also doubted that the man had sustained his injuries in a fall, but he would never point that out.

"Have they received a 911 call to claim the parks?" Mack asked as she looked over the reports from Leesylvania.

Morgan looked at Reid. "Not that I've heard of," Reid told them.

"Maybe one of the bastards we caught is the actual leader, and he can't make the call," Morgan started as Hotch joined them.

"He didn't have to call 911; he called my office directly," he told them and he could tell by the looks on their faces that they all knew the implications of the man calling Hotch directly.

Garcia came in with her laptop. She clicked a few keys and let them all listen to the recorded message. She looked at Hotch as her eyes watered up. "How? How could he know to call you? And how did he get your number?"

"Anyone can get his office number through the directory," Reid told her.

"Yeah, but how can he know that Hotch was put in charge of this whole thing?" Garcia asked.

"Apparently we have a leak," Morgan told her as he got up to stand behind her and rubbed her shoulders.

"It could be anyone from any of the agencies involved. That's like hundreds of people," Mack said and they could all hear the frustration in her voice.

Hotch nodded his agreement. It didn't even have to be someone from the investigation. It could be a family member that overheard something, it could be a waiter at some restaurant who overheard something, it could be anyone. He sighed deeply. With as many people who were involved, it would be next to impossible to figure out who was responsible for the leak.

"Do you think he's threatening you?" Mack asked Hotch.

"No. He mentioned there would be more bloodshed, but he never actually said anything against me personally."

"So have I missed something? I didn't hear what changes he wants, was I supposed to read between the lines or something?" Garcia asked them all.

"He never said what changes he wants. He has said why he attacked the different places, but he never explains what changes he wants to occur," Reid told her as he went over all of the calls from the madman in his head.

"So he's just a lunatic?" Garcia clarified.

Morgan and Hotch both nodded.

Garcia took a deep breath. Terrorists were bad enough, but a terrorist without a true goal could get really scary. "Where's Double-O?" She asked Hotch.

He looked at his watch. "Probably home by now. She went to the hospital to see Dave, but I would think she'd be done by now."

"Does she know about the call?" Morgan asked him.

Hotch shook his head. "I haven't had a chance to talk with her since we left the park."

"I stopped by to see Dave, too. He's healing, but he's getting really frustrated over not being with us on this," Mack told them.

Hotch smiled. He could just imagine how Dave was feeling. "Hopefully this is all over before he gets released."

"They'll be no stopping him from coming in once that happens," Reid added with a smile.

While Hotch missed him dearly, he didn't want him to rush his recovery to be able to help. Hotch wanted him healed properly. Had it just been a gun shot that he had to recover from, it wouldn't be that bad, but they had to crack his chest open and that meant a long recovery time.

"We might have to put a guard on him at home if he gets out before this is over," Morgan joked, and they all laughed.

Hotch stood up and stretched his back. "It's late. We all need to go home and get some sleep. We'll meet back here at nine." He looked at his watch again; it was already after one. "Make that ten," he corrected. He knew none of them would be able to go home and immediately go to sleep, and he wanted them well rested.

They all stood up and gathered their stuff. After bidding each other goodnight, they all went home to try and rest for the new day which could bring another bout of terrorist attacks.

XXX

Hotch got a little worried when he got home. He had expected Kahlan to be home, but her car wasn't in the driveway. He quickly took out his phone to call her. When it went straight to voicemail, he got even more worried. He sat in his car without turning it off as he tried to decide what to do. He called Cindi first. She confirmed that Kahlan had been at the hospital, but that she had left a little after eight. He called Chuck next. When Chuck said he hadn't seen her since they left the park, Hotch got even more worried. He didn't have a bad feeling, but not knowing where she was bothered him all the same. Chuck told him to call Cam and have him trace her car. Hotch smiled. He hadn't even thought about tracking her GPS, so he did just that.

Within minutes, Cam found her car at Saint Sebastian's Hospital. Neither one of them could figure out why it was there, but Hotch put his car in reverse and headed over there to find out after he thanked Cam. Cam made him promise to let him know what was going on, and Hotch said he'd let him and Chuck both know as soon as he knew.

XXX

Hotch found her car in the parking lot, but he still had no idea why Kahlan was there. He knew she wasn't hurt, so unless something happened after seeing Dave. . . _Stop it! You would have known if she'd been hurt!_ He went in through the emergency entrance because it was the only one open at that time of night. He looked around at the few people who were there, but he didn't see his wife. He took a deep breath and went to the nurse's station. He pulled out his badge and introduced himself. The older nurse gave him a small smile and asked him how she could help him. "This is going to sound really strange, but have you seen any other agents in here this evening?" He figured if Kahlan was doing something for the case that she would have used one of her badges.

"Actually there was a woman here earlier. She came on to check on the victims of the park attack."

"She's still here. Do you happen to know whom she was checking on?"

The nurse started typing on her keyboard. "We only got three of the survivors," she started. "David Adams is in room 304, Michelle Hays is in 218, and Sarah Handley is up in Pediatrics in room 421."

Hotch smiled mentally. If Kahlan was there, she had to be with the little girl they had helped save. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll find her," Hotch started as he turned toward the elevators. He stopped at the Pediatric nurse's station to show his ID again. "Is the girl's family here?" he asked a young nurse.

"As far as I know, her father died at the park, but her mother is on her way from California. Your agent is in there with her now."

"How is she doing?"

"She's young and tough. I think she adapt to a prosthetic leg without much difficulty. She should live a full and normal life once she heals," she told him with a smile.

Hotch returned the smile. While he knew she would lose the leg, he also knew how resilient most kids were. "Good," he told her and headed for the room. He smiled again when he took in the occupants of the room. Sarah was sleeping peacefully in her bed, and Kahlan was sleeping in a chair next to the bed. She had a book in her lap. She had apparently fallen asleep while reading to the little girl. He'd found her a few times like that at home in Joey's room. He walked to her and put his hand gently on her shoulder. She jumped as if someone had kicked her.

When she saw who had touched her, she looked embarrassed. She stood up and looked at the little girl and Hotch could see sadness crease her face. He nodded toward the hall as he grabbed her hand. She nodded and let him lead her out of the room.

"I am so sorry," she started as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes. "I can't believe I fell asleep. I should have called you or texted. . ."

He stopped her by pulling her into a hug. "It's fine."

She shook her head as she pulled away from him. "No it's not, but this is not the place to talk. Let's go home," she told him as she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the elevators.

"You want to leave your car here? We can stop and get it in the morning," he suggested as they walked toward the exit.

"That's fine," she told him simply.

He studied her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't like her tone, but her face revealed nothing. "What's wrong?" He finally asked when they were pulling out of the parking lot.

She huffed. "Everything," she told him as she turned toward the window.

"What do you mean?" He asked her as he reached over and grabbed her hand. She shook her head, but didn't look at him. "Babe?"

She took a shuddering breath and finally looked at him. She had tears in her eyes. "I don't know how you do your job."

He looked at her as best he could while still keeping an eye on the road. "My job?" He wasn't sure what she was upset about, but he thought it had more to do with the little girl than it did his job.

"How do you all do your job so well, when you have to face the victims?" She asked him as a tear fell down her cheek.

"She's going to be alright," he told her softly.

"I know, I just. . ." She shook her head again and looked back towards the window.

"What?"

"I can handle any bad guy. Hell, I can even handle the chaos they ensue, but I can't handle the victims. I could never do your job," she told him shakily, and he knew she was crying.

"Babe. . ."

She turned back towards him. "Does that make me a horrible person?"

He pulled into the next parking lot and put the car in park. He reached up and put a hand on the side of her face. "Of course not. It's the exact opposite. You feel sorry for them, and that makes you someone who cares."

"But you all care, probably more than most people, and you can handle doing your job even when you have to face them."

He wiped her tears away with his thumb. "We know how to control our emotions and use them to help fuel us to catch the unsubs. We just compartmentalize better than most. That's what makes us good at our jobs."

"I guess I don't have that ability. The only thing I feel when I look at the victims is sadness for them and pure hatred for the men responsible."

"We feel anger, too. We just don't let it lead us."

"You all are better people than me."

"Not better people, just better at our jobs. We couldn't do your job either."

"And what does my job say about me? Maybe there is something disturbingly wrong with me to be able to do the stuff that I can do."

He chuckled. "Don't sell yourself short. I can imagine that you wanted to kill that man in the woods, and you didn't."

She looked away from his eyes. "It did cross my mind," she admitted.

While he was pretty sure the man had fallen at one point in time, he was almost completely sure she had been the cause behind the fall. He also knew, though, that she apparently didn't want him to know exactly what had happened, and he was fine with that. "I bet." He reached over and lifted her chin to make her look at him. "Are you going to be alright?"

She gave him a small smile. "With you by my side, of course. You always know how to make me feel better."

"That's my job, too," he told her with a smile as he put the car in gear and started for home again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

After interviewing the newly captured terrorists, several of them gave up hide outs and other members. Within the week, over twenty more terrorists were in custody. With the lack of evidence to the contrary, and nothing new from the terrorists, Hotch and the team had to turn their attention to other pressing cases. While none of them thought the terrorists were done, they knew other people needed their help. Kahlan finally let the kids and her family come home, too, because she wanted the kids to be able to spend some time with their father before he had to leave on a case.

Two more weeks and three cases later, everyone was starting to relax a little. Even the news had stopped running all of the stories about the terrorist attacks. Rossi was finally released from the hospital, and while he couldn't go back to work officially, Hotch knew the lack of activity was driving Rossi crazy, so he made sure to call him and let him help with the cases over the phone.

Hotch and the team were headed home early on Thursday, so Kahlan planned a big cookout for the whole team and their other halves. Rossi and Chuck manned the grill while the ladies prepared the different salads and sides. By the time the team got there, everything was ready for them. They all ate and enjoyed each other's company.

Hotch sighed as he and Kahlan sat on the outdoor love seat. It was the most relaxed he had seen his team since the whole thing with the terrorists had started. He put his arm around his wife and pulled her close to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for this."

She smiled at him. "You all deserve it," she told him as they watched everyone around them.

Dave was swinging with Joey; Reid was playing chess with Jack; Henry was playing chess with Amy; Chuck, Morgan, Wyatt, Will, and Cam were playing football; Garcia and JJ were showing Vinnie several websites dealing with baby stuff as Cindi held Matty; and Jesse was sleeping peacefully in the house under the watchful eye of a baby cam and Sampson. The only person who was missing was Mina, but she was out of the country on assignment and wouldn't be back for several more days.

"It nice to just sit back and relax for a change," Hotch told her as he laughed when Wyatt easily out maneuvered Morgan's tackle.

"You don't think the Rebellion is actually done, do you?" Kahlan asked in a hushed tone as she winked at Jack. She could tell Jack was getting close to beating his Uncle Spencer.

"No, but it's nice to not have to think about them for a change."

"Oh, sorry," she told them as she winced because she had just made him think about them.

"Not me, them," he told her as he gestured to everyone around them.

"Yeah," is all she said as she finished her beer. She grabbed his, which was also empty, and went to the house to get them both another.

XXX

Another week went by and even Hotch's team was starting to think that they had dismantled the terrorist group enough to stop them from doing anything further. Something in Hotch couldn't let him feel the same, though. DNI Clapper put most of the Rapid Response Team on stand down. He still wanted a weekly meeting between Hotch and all of the team leaders, but he let them all go back to handle things at their own agencies. Hotch headed home form the first meeting with the team leaders and while there wasn't anything new to report, he could tell they all felt the same way he did. He was starting to get an uneasy feeling that they hadn't seen the last of the Rebellion.

He stopped and grabbed the mail out of the box on his way into the house. Joey almost knocked him over as she ran from the dogs. "Hey, Daddy!" she yelled as Hotch laughed as the dogs chased her out of the pet door and into the back yard. _One of these days she's going too big to fit through there._ He shook his head as he tossed the mail on the little table by the door and went in search of his wife.

He found her in the laundry room folding clothes. He tried to sneak up on her because he thought the sound of both the washer and dryer running would mask his approach. He smiled wickedly as he got closer than he ever had before. Right as he was about to grab her she threw a pair of balled up socks at him. "I don't think so," she told him without even turning around. He caught the socks after they had hit him in the chest.

"Damn it, woman! How do you always know?" He asked her as he put his hands around her waist, nuzzled her hair out of the way, and kissed the side of her neck.

She giggled. "If I told you, then I'd have to kill you."

He laughed. "I will do it. I don't know when, but I will do it one day," he vowed as he grabbed the basket of folded clothes.

"Don't count on it," she told him as she pinched his butt.

"Hey!" He yelled as he jumped and took the basket upstairs for her. She followed him. "I really wish you wouldn't do that," he joked over his shoulder as they climbed the stairs.

"Then you shouldn't have such a nice ass," she told him as she pinched it again.

XXX

Kahlan was in front of the stove stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce. "Get the boys in, Hun," she told Hotch as he walked in the kitchen.

"Daddy, can I open your card?" Joey yelled from the entryway.

Hotch looked toward his daughter. He had received his invitation to the FBI picnic like every year. "Sure, Angel," he told her as he went to the backdoor to call the boys in.

Joey ran into the kitchen with the card in her hand and climbed up on one of the stools at the island.

Hotch opened the door and leaned his head out. "Time to eat!" he yelled to the boys who were in the far corner of the yard throwing the football.

Joey ripped the envelope open to get to the card and a fine white powder filled the air around her head. "Patuey!" She spit as some of the powder went into her mouth.

Kahlan turned just in time to see the powder in the air around her daughter, and her heart skipped a beat. She lunged from the stove and pushed Hotch out of the door. "Freeze, Joey!" She yelled as she shut the door.

"What the hell. . ." Hotch started to ask as he fell and landed on his hands and knees clearly not expecting to get shoved out of the house by his own wife. As he started to get up he heard Kahlan slide the deadbolt home, and his heart skipped a beat. He jumped up quickly and turned toward the door. He reached for the handle, but his hand froze as he looked through the window; he could clearly see the fine cloud of dust around his little angel. "No!" he screamed as he tried to open the door.

Joey stayed completely still, and Kahlan and Hotch could both see the look of shock mixed with fear on the four year old's face.

Kahlan looked at Hotch through the window. "Call hazmat. Initiate biohazard protocols!"

Hotch looked at his wife and then back to his daughter; he was frozen in fear.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Jack asked as he and Wyatt made it to the deck. They had both seen him fall out of the door.

"Agent Hotchner!" Kahlan yelled as she went and shut off the air conditioner.

Hotch jerked at the sound of his name, tears were escaping the corner of his eyes.

"Do it now, Aaron!" Kahlan yelled as she locked eyes with her husband.

Hotch nodded quickly and took his phone out of his pocket.

"Dad?!" Wyatt asked frantically when he realized the state Hotch was in. "Is something wrong with mom?" Wyatt asked as he went for the door handle.

Hotch called the Bureau as his breathing quickened.

Wyatt realized the door was locked and turned to go around the house. "The front door's open."

"No!" Hotch yelled again as he grabbed Wyatt to stop him. "You can't go in there!"

"But. . ."

"Wyatt Christopher Hotchner!" Kahlan yelled through the glass. Wyatt stopped fighting Hotch and looked at his mother. "Send a 911 to the team. Dad needs them!" Wyatt swallowed hard but took his phone out and did as he was told.

Hotch heard the person on the line trying to get him to answer. He quickly put the phone back to his ear and told them what had happened.

"Jack, call Gradma. Tell her to come now," Kahlan told him. He nodded and took out his phone.

Once she knew her men were doing what they were told, Kahlan turned back to her daughter and slowly walked up to her. She held her breath for a second to try and get her heart to calm down. "Close your eyes and hold your breath; just like when we go swimming," Kahlan told her trying to sound as calm as possible. Joey nodded and squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath. Kahlan quickly pulled Joey's shirt up over her head. White powder fell from it as Kahlan threw it to the floor. She grabbed her daughter off the stool. "Ok, Pumpkin." Kahlan told her as she sat her down away from the island and the offensive powder.

Joey opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "Did I do something wrong, Mommy?"

Kahlan kneelt down in front of her. "No, Pumpkin, but we have to do a few things. You stay right there." Joey nodded. Kahlan went back to the island and looked at the card that Joey had dropped on the countertop. It was Hotch's invitation to the FBI picnic, but stamped on the inside was a one inch tall Red symbol of the Rebellion. She felt bile rise in her throat as her neck and face got warm with anger. She took out her phone and called Garcia.

"Hey Dou. . ." Garcia's happy voice came through as soon as the call connected.

"Pen, you need to listen," Kahlan cut her off, and Garcia instantly knew something was terribly wrong by Kahlan's tone. "Can you send out a Bureau wide alert?"

"I'm supposed to go through Paxton for something like that, but I will if I need to. Why?" She asked desperately.

"Do it. Tell everyone that the picnic invitations are hands off! There's a foreign substance in them."

She heard Garcia suck in her breath, and she could hear her fingers flying across her keyboard. "My liege?" Garcia asked weakly.

"No. Hotch is fine," Kahlan assured her quietly.

"You?" Garcia asked weakly.

Kahlan swallowed hard. "Mainly Joey."

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Garcia exclaimed. "I have help on the way. I'll get. . ."

"Hotch is on the phone now," Kahlan assured her. "I have to go, Pen. I need to. . ."

"Go. I love you guys. You know I love you, right?"

"Of course," Kahlan told her and ended the call. She turned to Joey. "Alright, Pumpkin, you need to take a shower," she told her as she grabbed her and ran for the stairs.

"That stuff was bad, wasn't it?" Joey asked as her eyes teared up.

"I don't know for sure, Sweetheart," Kahlan told her honestly as she sat her down in the tub and started stripping her clothes off of her.

"But you think it was."

"Yeah, Baby. I do," Kahlan told her as she started the water. She grabbed the shower head and thanked God that it had a hose attached to it and started rinsing her off.

"You pushed Daddy outside so it didn't get him?"

"An-huh," Kahlan nodded as she lathered her daughter up.

"What about you, then?"

"Don't you worry about me." She moved to start washing her daughter's hair. Once she was done washing her down, she grabbed the mouthwash off the sink and poured some of it into a little cup. "Rinse your mouth with this, but don't swallow it."

"But that's the yucky stuff."

"I know, but you have to do it." Joey gave her mother her Hotch-stare and crossed her arms. "Now, Angelique," Kahlan told her in motherly tone.

The little four year old pouted for just a second and then took the cup. She scrunched up her face in disgust as she swished it around her mouth.

"Spit," Kahlan pointed to the sink as she dried her off.

Joey stood on her tippy toes and spit out the mouthwash. "Yuck!"

"You remember watching ET a few months ago?" Kahlan asked her as she took her to her bedroom.

"Yeah."

"You remember when the scientists showed up at Elliot's house in those strange outfits? They sort of looked like spacemen," Kahlan continued as she got her dressed. Joey nodded. "People are going to show up here dressed sort of like that, and I don't want you to be scared."

She huffed. "I'd never be scared!" She exclaimeded as she pulled her shirt over her head.

Kahlan chuckled. "You're my tough girl aren't you?"

"Yep," Joey told her with a smile, but her smile faulted. "What was that powder, Mommy?"

"I don't know, Pumpkin," she told her honestly as her phone went off. She pulled it out and saw it was a text from her husband.

'They're on their way.'

'K'

'Why? Why would you do that? I could have helped'

'NO! I've been immunized against a lot more shit than you have, Aaron!'

'But'

'But nothing! Besides, one of needs to be there for the boys.'

"What's it going to do to us?" Joey asked her.

"It might make us sick, but I really don't know," Kahlan told her as she picked her up and took her to her bedroom. She looked out of her bedroom window and saw Morgan pulling into the driveway. Hotch quickly went up to him.

"But Daddy and the boys are going to be ok?" Joey asked as she watched her mother.

"Yeah. They'll be fine," she told her as she texted Hotch. 'It was the Rebellion. I had Pen send out an agency wide alert.' She watched as Hotch cussed and slammed a fist down on Morgan's hood.

'Good thinking," is all he answered and then looked up to the window. He tried to control his anger and gave her a small smile.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Hotch paced in his driveway. _How could they get the invitations? What the hell is in there? God, please don't let it be something horrible!_ All he could think about was when Reid had contracted Anthrax. _Reid survived, they'll survive!_

Dave screeched his tires as he pulled into the driveway. He had never gotten to Hotch's house so fast before, but the 911 text he'd received had set his internal panic alarm off. None of them had ever received one before, and it scared the hell out of him as his imagination played out all kinds of horrors on his drive over. He felt a little relief when he saw that Hotch was alright, but he didn't see any of the kids or Kahlan. It was obvious that Hotch was angry, and he jumped out as Hotch went up to him. Before he could even ask what had happened, Hotch's anger turned to sheer terror. "What?" Dave asked quickly. Tears streamed down Hotch's face as he explained what happened. "Come on, Aaron, they're going to be ok," Dave tried to reassure him, but he wasn't sure if that was the truth or not. He had heard of too many accounts of a powdery substance being the death of a lot of people.

"But that's my girls in there!" Hotch cried as he pointed to the house.

"I know, Aaron," Dave started as he noticed Kahlan looking out of the upstairs window. "But you need to calm down. Joey can't see how scared you are," he finished as he pulled Hotch into a hug. "Come on, they'll get through this."

Hotch nodded weakly and wiped his face. "God, Dave, what am I going to do?"

"The bio group will get here and take care of them, Aaron. They'll get them to the hospital and they'll figure out what it is." Rossi turned as he heard sirens coming down the road. Chuck's Jeep pulled up on the curb first, though.

"Where is she?" Chuck yelled as he ran up to Hotch and Dave. Morgan tensed in case the man became a problem in his panic.

"She's got Joey upstairs. We're waiting on the Bio Group," Dave told him quickly. None of them had ever seen Chuck so upset, and he, too, was worried that Chuck might do something stupid.

Chuck took a deep breath as he looked to the upstairs window, but he couldn't see the woman he thought of as a sister. "She's got this. She's been trained on how to deal with shit like this," he told Hotch seriously. He nodded as he thought about it some more. "She's got fail safes. I'm sure she's probably already used them."

Hotch looked at him warily. "What do you mean?" he asked desperately. If Kahlan had an advantage to dealing with the situation, he really wanted to hear it.

Chuck glanced back at the window, and Hotch could tell the younger man wasn't sure he wanted to reveal what could or could not be happening upstairs. Finally he looked at Hotch. "She should have a few shots to help fight against certain things."

"Shots? What kind?" Morgan asked him as they all turned to see several medical type vehicles pull up to the house.

"Ciprofloxacin and Vancomycin, two of the strongest antibiotics there is," Chuck explained as they all went to the people who had arrived.

Hotch nodded to him. He knew Ciprofloxacin was a treatment for anthrax, but he had never heard of the other antibiotic. He figured, though, that if Kahlan and Chuck had a secret stash of it for emergencies, than it must be pretty good. He explained what happened to the woman in charge.

"As soon as we things set up, we'll get them out of there," she assured Hotch. "Then we'll take care of cleaning the house."

Hotch nodded as he saw Reid and Mack show up followed closely by Cindi. Rossi saw her and quickly went to her, as Chuck and Morgan went to Reid and Mack to explain what had happened.

'Have Mom get the boys out of here,' Kahlan texted Rossi.

'Ok,' he texted back. He knew she didn't want the boys to witness any more than what they had to. He gave Cindi a shortened version of the story, and they went to get the boys and the dogs out of the back yard.

When Kahlan saw the boys going to her mother's car, she quickly texted them and told them she loved them.

'Love you, too,' they told her.

'Don't worry about me and Joey. They will help us. Try and help Grandma.'

'We will.'

'And make sure your dogs don't eat Grandma's dogs.' She smiled as she looked at them through the window. They read the text and laughed as they looked up at her. Joey put her hand on the window and smiled down at her brothers.

'Tell Joey we love her and that she better behave,' Wyatt texted her. She let Joey read it. Joey stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed again. They loaded the dogs and waved goodbye.

Kahlan's heart ached as she watched her two boys disappear down the road. She sighed and went to sit on her bed. Joey climbed up beside her. "Now we wait," Kahlan told her as she put her arm around her.

"I don't feel sick," Joey told her honestly.

"Good. Maybe it was just an innocent powder," Kahlan lied.

"It wasn't powdered sugar," Joey told her seriously and she wiped her mouth off as if remembering the taste.

Kahlan smiled at her. Her phone vibrated; it was Hotch. 'They're ready. They're coming in to get you.'

'K,' texted back as she grabbed Joey and took her down stairs. 'Please don't let Joey see how scared you are.'

'I know.'

Kahlan met the suited up people at the bottom of the stairs. "It's in the kitchen."

"Mrs. Hotchner, I'm Dr. Hamill, and this is Angie, Liz, Donald, and Mark, my team," she told them as she gestured to the people around her. "We are going to get you out of here," she assured her.

Kahlan nodded to the woman and sat Joey down. "Her first," Kahlan told her as she motioned to her daughter.

"Sure thing," Mark told her as he went up and kneeled in front of Joey. "I saw you have a couple big dogs, you ever help give them a bath?"

Joey smiled. "Yep, but we have to do it outside cause they shake and get the bathroom all wet."

Mark laughed. "Well, you get to take one outside, too. We have to clean you with special soap, but it won't hurt; so you don't need to be afraid."

Joey squared her shoulders and gave him her Hotch stare. "I'm not afraid of nothing!"

"Anything," Kahlan corrected her as she chuckled.

"Yeah, anything!" Joey told him.

"Well then, come on," he told her as he grabbed her hand and lead her outside with Angie and Liz following them.

Kahlan smiled as she watched her daughter leave. Her smile left her as soon as Joey was out of sight. "How long until you know what it is?" She asked the rest of the group.

"It's hard to say, but we will work as fast as we can," Donald assured her.

"We can start treatment with a few things as soon as we get you to the hospital," Hamill told her.

"I've already given her a shot of Cipro and Vano," Kahlan told them.

They looked shocked. Dr. Hamill studied Kahlan. She knew that Hotch was in the Bureau, but she knew that shots like that weren't FBI issue. Kahlan's face didn't give anything away, though. "Have you also taken the shots?"

Kahlan shook her head. "I only had one of each."

Dr. Hamill nodded. With two kids of her own, she understood Kahlan's want to try and help her daughter first. "Getting into her fast should help if it turns out to be needed. We don't have a shot, but we do have Cipro pills I want you to take."

"That's fine. Let's do this," Kahlan told them and headed out the door to circus she knew would be waiting. She found Joey laughing as Liz tickled her as she scrubbed her down. Kahlan's eyes locked with her husbands. There was so much that she wanted to say, but not there in front of everyone. She tried to show him a smile and he bit his lip. She knew he was trying to stay strong. "What the hell are the neighbors going to think of us now?" She tried to sound lighthearted.

He laughed. "Maybe they think you're just really early for Halloween."

"You can tell them I found an alien," Joey suggested with a giggle that sounded just like her mother's. Everyone laughed at that.

Once Joey was scrubbed down again, Liz offered her a pair of little pink scrubs to dress in. Hotch laughed again at face his daughter made. One would have thought the woman had offered her least favorite veggie. "What? You don't like pink?" Liz asked her.

"Just cause I'm a girl, doesn't mean I like pink!" Joey told her as she crossed her arms.

"Well! We have green, gray, black. . ."

"Black!" Joey yelled excitedly. "That's my favorite color, just like Mommy!"

"Okey dokey," Liz told her as she searched through a tub to try and find ones that would fit her.

Once Joey was dressed in the scrubs, Mark took her to a waiting ambulance that was connected through a tunnel of plastic. "Mommy will be here in just a few moments," he told her as he sat her down on the bench in the back.

Hotch felt like he couldn't breathe as he watched his little angel get carried to the ambulance. He put a hand over his face and tried to get himself under control again.

"Don't worry. They say only the good die young, so Joey will live forever," Chuck told him as he put a supportive hand on Hotch's shoulder.

Hotch chuckled. "Ain't that the truth," told him with a smile that thanked him.

"Don't think any of you are going to stand here staring at me while I get naked," Kahlan told them all as soon as they were ready for her to get scrubbed down.

Rossi laughed. "Sorry. I guess we weren't thinking," he told her as he steered Reid and Mack away.

"You know I had to at least try," Morgan told her with a grin.

"Yeah, don't think so," Chuck told him and pulled him away with a laugh.

"But I was finally going to be able to see if she had a tattoo! I've had a bet with JJ and Garcia for over three years!" Morgan joked as he playfully fought against being led away.

Hotch shook his head as he made sure both of the men were far enough away from his wife. He then fixed Donald with his stare to let him know that he was also not welcomed in the vicinity of his naked wife. Donald swallowed hard and quickly went back into Hotch house.

"Go," Kahlan told Hotch. "Go talk to your daughter." Hotch nodded and left to let the female bio people take care of his wife.

Hotch went up to the ambulance and stopped in his tracks as he watched the young man taking Joey's blood pressure.

Mark noticed Hotch's look of fear. "I'm just getting a vitals recording for a base line," he assured him.

Hotch let out the breath he'd been holding. "You ok, Angel?"

"Yeah, Daddy. I don't feel sick at all," Joey told him with a smile.

"Good. Maybe that means you'll be back home in no time," Hotch told her with a smile.

"I have to confess somin," she told him seriously.

He tensed. "Ok."

"I'm the one who broke Mommy's little man yesterday. It wasn't Goliath's tail."

Hotch almost laughed out loud. The 'little man' she was referring to was a glass gnome that Kahlan had next to her plants in the front yard. "Then why did you lie about it?"

Joey looked at him sheepishly. "It was an accident. I was chasing him, but he turned on me too fast and I fell. I tipped the table when I fell."

Hotch shook his head and tried to act like he was disappointed in her. Inside he was smiling. _Yep, she'll live forever._ "Then you should have told the truth. You know you wouldn't get in trouble for an accident."

"But it was my fault for chasing him through the flowers," she told him as she pouted.

"True, but lying about it is still ten times worse."

"I know," she told him as her shoulders slumped.

"When this is over, you will tell Mommy the truth, and you will face whatever consequences come of it without argument," he told her sternly.

She perked up with the mention of handling it later. "Ok," she agreed quickly.

"What's ok?" Kahlan asked as she walked up to the ambulance wearing a matching set of black scrubs.

"Nothing important," Hotch told her quickly and Joey smiled.

"You following us in?" Kahlan asked him.

"Of course he is," Rossi told her as he came up and put his hand on Hotch's back. "I'm driving. Morgan and Chuck will take care of everything here."

Kahlan nodded and climbed up and sat beside her daughter. "She you there," she told them as Mark got out and shut the doors. After disconnecting the plastic tunnel, he got in the driver's seat as Dr. Hamill got in the passenger seat. They headed to the hospital with Rossi's car following close behind.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Kahlan paced in the room they had her waiting in. They had already drawn blood from both of the Hotchner girls and they were getting Joey settled into her room. She knew that they wouldn't be sharing a room, but they had told her the rooms connected with a door, so it would give her the privacy she needed to take care of a few things. She took a deep breath and texted Jim Clapper, 'Walter Reed Hospital, Bio Hazard area, ASAP!' She wasn't sure if the DNI knew about the threat on the FBI yet or not, but she had to talk to him. She sat down in the only chair in the room and drummed her fingers on her thighs. She knew she wouldn't be able to see her husband until they had her secured in a room to keep her safely away from other people in case she had contracted anything contagious. Her head was pounding, and she hoped it was just from the stress and not a symptom.

_Stop thinking bad thoughts!_ She had been immunized against a lot of nasty things. Her travels throughout the world had also left her with a few natural antibodies to help defend against things she had already contracted, but there were still enough horrible things out there that could kill her. _And a bunch of shit that can be made._ She shook her head. She didn't want to think about what would happen to her and her daughter if the Rebellion had gotten its hands on some super scientist.

Finally a nurse in a hazard suit came in the room. "We have your room ready, Mrs. Hotchner. If you'd follow me please," she told her in a kind voice. "My name is Jenny, by the way." Kahlan nodded and gestured for the woman to lead the way.

"Am I going to be able to talk to my husband?"

"He won't be able to come into the room, but there is an adjoining room that can be seen through a glass wall and there is a communication device built in so you will be able to talk as if you were in the room together," she told her with a warm smile.

Kahlan followed her silently as she tried to figure out exactly what she wanted to tell Hotch. They walked past a room that Kahlan knew to be a control room. She could see Joey's room on a monitor and she realized that there were several rooms in the unit. She silently prayed that none of the other rooms would be needed.

With a swipe of an electronic badge, the nurse opened a door to a room that was exactly like Joey's. It contained a chair, a bed, a small bathroom, and a lot of medical equipment against the one wall. Kahlan quickly sent up another prayer that the equipment wouldn't be needed either. Jenny pointed to a door in the far wall, "Do you want the door to your daughter's room open?"

"Actually no, I'll open it as soon as I'm done talking to the people I need to see."

She nodded her understanding. "Once you are done, we will have to hook you up to the monitors, so that we can monitor your vitals and such from the nurses' station."

"I understand," Kahlan told her simply. She didn't tell her that she knew the ropes because she had already been in a similar situation before. "How do I work this thing?" Kahlan asked her as she checked out the speaker system that would allow her to talk to the people on the other side of the glass.

"It's either off or on," she demonstrated with the toggle of a switch.

"Guess that'll come in handy if the person out there pisses me off, huh?" Kahlan tried to joke with the woman.

The young woman gave Kahlan a horrified look, though, clearly thinking she was serious. "I'll go let your husband know you are ready," Jenny told her as she left the room quickly.

Kahlan shook her head as she watched her leave. She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck to try and ease the tension out. She took a deep breath, sat on the edge of the bed, rested her elbows on her knees, and put her head in her hands. _How the hell are you going to get out of this mess? If something happens to my daughter, you better pray it kills me, too! Because I will hunt you down and make you regret ever being a gleam in your daddy's eye!_ She ran her hands through her hair slowly.

"Babe, are you ok?" Hotch asked her desperately when he saw the way she was sitting.

Kahlan's head snapped up, she hadn't heard him come into the adjoining room. She jumped up and went to the glass. "I'm fine," she told him and took a deep breath. Rossi had apparently decided to give them privacy. She gave her husband a weak smile as she put her hand on the glass and he quickly mimicked her.

"I am so sorry. . ." he started.

"Don't. Don't you dare try to take responsibility for this!"

"But. . . If it wasn't for my job then you. . ."

"If it wasn't for your job, I would never have met you! Your job is not responsible! Whoever put that shit in that envelope is!" She yelled as she turned away from him, not able to control her anger any more. She took a deep breath and turned back to him. "I'm sorry. Now is not the time to be yelling. I need to tell you some things. . ."

Hotch looked at her warily. "What?" He asked not liking the look on her face.

She took another deep breath and ran a hand down her face. "There are things you need to know about. There's insurance, and accounts. . ."

"No!" Hotch yelled. "I do not need to hear this!" He turned away from her.

"Aaron. We both know how this will probably end. You need to know. . ."

"Please don't," Hotch told her quietly. By the way his back was shaking, she could tell he was trying to keep from breaking down. He turned back to her. "We don't know how this will end."

"But Cam has. . ."

"Fine! If. . ." He shook his head as he licked his lips. "When something happens many years from now, I know I need to see Cam. Can we move on from that now, please?"

"Ok, Aaron." She bit her lip. She should have known he wouldn't want to hear about anything that meant she thought she wouldn't make it.

"The only thing that needs to be said right now is: I love you."

She smiled. "I love you more."

He finally smiled. "No you don't. It's not possible for anyone to love anyone else more than I love you."

She chuckled. "Have you seen Joey yet?"

He looked toward the side of her room that he knew connected to their daughter's room. "Yes. I've already told her goodnight. Dave's with her now. I think she got him to read her a story.

She smiled again as she thought about Dave continuing his normal routine even in the face of what had happened. She looked to her room, too. When she turned back to Hotch, she got serious. "You need to go. . ."

"But, I. . ."

"You need to find them, Aaron. If this is manmade, there's a chance that there's an antidote or vaccine or something."

He nodded. "I will," he vowed.

She nodded. "I know Dave will want to help with this, but he's not healed completely. You need to make sure he takes it easy."

"I will. I've already assigned him to keep an eye on the boys and your family."

"Chuck will help you. He'll do whatever you want him to do; you just have to tell him."

"I know. He'd drive me crazy if I didn't let him help."

"Cam, too. Don't forget to include him."

"I won't."

"Have you heard whether or not anyone else has been affected? Whether or not it was actually a Bureau wide thing or if it was just you?"

Hotch shook his head. "I don't know yet, but I will find out as soon as I leave here." She shook her head as her eyes darted around, and he knew she was probably thinking a thousand different thoughts. He also knew it was probably driving her crazy to not be the one on the outside with the ability to actually do something.

She took a deep breath. "You need to try and get some sleep. I don't want you working on this and not taking care of yourself."

"I will," he lied. The whole team was planning on meeting him back at the BAU.

She studied his face. "You're not allowed to run your team into the ground, either, Aaron."

He tried to give her his best innocent look. "I would never force them to do anything like that." He didn't have to, they had volunteered. Even JJ had come back from her maternity leave to help once she found out what had happened.

She shook her head, but she couldn't blame him or his team; she'd do the same thing if their positions were reversed. "I'm going to try to get you some help."

"What? Who?"

"I don't know yet, but I hope to know before the night is over," is all she told him with a sly grin.

He had no idea what she was talking about, but he knew she knew a lot of people. "The more the merrier." If he had his way, he'd have the whole intelligence field in the hunt for the bastards who had harmed his family.

She sighed heavily. "I guess you better go then."

He took a deep breath and nodded. He didn't want to leave her. He was afraid of something happening and him not being there, but he knew he had to get things rolling. "If you need me. . . If something. . ." He felt his resolve starting to break, and he knew he definitely needed to leave before she saw exactly how scared he really was.

"They will call you, Aaron. Don't worry about us. Let me worry about Joey, you concentrate of getting him."

"Ok." He swallowed hard. "I love you," he told her again as he put his hand on the glass.

She smiled as her hand joined his. "I love you, too."

He looked at their hands and then locked eyes with her. He nodded slowly, turned, and quickly left the room.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she watched him leave.

As soon as he was out the door, he had to stop and put a hand on the wall of the hallway. Tears were falling down his cheeks.

"Come on, Aaron. Let's find this bastard," Rossi told him as he put a hand on Hotch's shoulder. Hotch nodded as he wiped his face and let Rossi lead him down the hallway.

Kahlan turned and released some of her anger in a kick that sent the chair flying across the room. She fell back against the glass and slid down it to sit on the floor. She took out her phone, and quickly texted him.

Hotch took his phone out as it vibrated as he was getting into Rossi's car. 'Be safe!' He smiled in spite of himself.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Kahlan sat on the floor for what seemed like forever.

"Mrs. Hotchner?"

She turned around and saw the DNI standing in the adjoining room. "I was beginning to think that you weren't coming," she told him as she stood up.

"How could I not? I had to deal with a few things first, but I am very sorry this has happened to your family," he told her sincerely.

"Is it agency wide?"

He nodded. "They have started to collect the envelopes, but the alert that was sent out has probably saved a lot of people."

She nodded. "How many?"

"So far, just three others, but we probably won't know for sure until the morning. It will take them all night to get to everyone."

She nodded again and turned to pace a little. She wasn't sure how to ask for what she wanted. She wasn't sure what the man front of her actually knew. Finally, she decided to just come out with it. "You need to call in the Omega Squad."

He looked shocked. "How could. . ." He quickly recovered. "Who?" He asked innocently.

From his initial reaction, she knew he knew who she was talking about. She raised her brows. "Really?"

He squinted his eyes as he studied her. "How could you. . ." It finally dawned on him, and he smiled. "Of course. Now it all makes sense."

She shrugged.

"You were on it."

She nodded as she smiled slyly.

"When?"

"Ninety-two to 2002."

"Ten years?" He asked clearly shocked and impressed. He chuckled as he considered it. "Of course you were. With the shape you're still in you probably could have stayed on it a lot longer."

"Since these assholes have targeted a whole government agency, I think that warrants the squad's involvement."

He considered that for a moment. "You want them to report to your husband?"

It was her turn to take a moment to consider. "He might not know how to utilize their abilities fully." She bit her lip as she thought some more. "Maybe Chuck. . ."

"I could have them meet with you both, here."

She smiled. "That would work. I'll make sure Chuck and Cam are here, too."

"Let me guess, they were on it, too?" He could tell by her look what the answer was. He looked at his watch. It was already after midnight. "Five too early?"

She smiled again. "Of course not."

"Then I will have them here. I will be keeping a close watch on things here, and I really hope this turns out to be insignificant," he told her seriously.

"Me, too. I would love to find out that is just some innocent powder meant to scare the FBI, but I really don't think that's the case. The Rebellion hasn't made any empty threats so far, so I can't see them starting now."

"I concur. I'm taking the threat seriously; that's why I'm allowing the squad to operate on US soil."

She understood the implications. "I know you didn't make the decision lightly, but I truly think it is needed."

"I trust your judgment. I also trust your husband. He is a good man." He considered his words again. "If he were interested, he could run the Bureau one day."

She laughed. "I don't think he'd like the politics, besides, he loves the BAU too much."

"I know. I have done some checking on him. At least his talents aren't wasted." He gave her a small smile. "If you need anything, I'm just a call away," he told her seriously.

"I appreciate that, Jim."

He nodded and then left, his entourage joining him in the hall outside of the room.

Kahlan took a deep breath and headed to Joey's room. She opened the door quietly and silently walked up to the sleeping child. She smiled when she saw a little bear dressed in matching scrubs clutched tightly in her arm. Apparently one of the nurses had given it to her. She moved the chair next to the bed and sat down and watched her sleep. _I'm so sorry, Pumpkin. We never wanted anything bad to ever happen to you. _ She studied the monitors beside the bed. Her heart ached when she realized Joey had a slight temperature, and she was hoping it was just from the stress of the day and being in a strange place. _Please God, please let her be alright!_ She reached and put the back of her hand gently on the side of Joey's face. She didn't feel warm. She stood up and leaned in to give her cheek a kiss. "Good night, Pumpkin. Mommy loves you," she whispered and then sat back down.

XXX

Kahlan awoke with a start when someone touched her. "It's ok," Jenny quickly told her in hushed tones.

Kahlan looked around; she realized quickly that she had fallen asleep in the chair. She nodded towards her room and Jenny followed her and shut the door to Joey's room quietly. "I'm sorry to have wakened you, but we need to get you hooked up to the monitors. . ."

Kahlan shook her head. "Not yet. I have a meeting in the morning."

"But. . ."

"No buts. I will not be stuck in that bed any more than I have to be. I'm fine, so there isn't anything that you all need to monitor," she told her forcibly.

"The cords actually reach pretty far. . ."

"When I'm done with the meeting. It's important. After that, then you can do whatever you all want to do with me."

The young woman sighed but nodded. "Ok, but you need to let us know the second you start to feel anything out of the ordinary."

"I will," she told her with a warm smile.

"Alright. Try to go back to sleep. You should sleep in the bed, at least it's more comfortable than the chair," she told her nicely and then left.

Kahlan sighed and sat on the bed. She took out her phone and set an alarm in case she fell back to sleep. She went ahead and laid down. It was the most comfortable hospital bed she had ever been in. She laid there thinking about what had happened. She couldn't believe that everything had gone so horribly wrong within seconds. She shook her head. _If we make it through this, we are going to take a vacation, and Aaron is coming with us!_

XXX

Kahlan moaned as her phone vibrated to let her know it was time to get up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. She winced as her head started pounding. She stretched her neck and then pushed her chin to each side trying to get her neck to pop.

"Don't do that too hard. Wouldn't want you to break your own neck," Chuck told her through the speaker.

She smiled at seeing the man she thought of as a brother. She hopped off the bed and went to him. "If you could come in here, I'd just have you pop it."

"I'd trade places with you if I could," he told her seriously.

"I know. Where's Cam and Hotch?"

"Cam's picking him up; they should be here soon. What's wrong?" He asked as he studied her face.

She shook her head. "Nothing, just a little stiff from sleeping in a strange bed."

"What's this about?"

She smiled. "I got you all some help."

He smiled. "Oh yeah, who?"

"The current squad."

He raised his brows in surprise. "Clapper actually admitted to their existence? Damn, that's awesome. Anyone we know?"

"I don't know yet. They're supposed to be here by five." She looked at her watch; they still had twenty minutes before they were supposed to be there. She fixed him with a serious look. "Chuck, you need to promise me something."

His shoulders slumped. He had a feeling he knew where she was going. "What?"

"If this goes south, I want you to promise that you'll help Aaron. . ."

"It's not going to go south!" He insisted.

She gave him a look. "But if it does, you and Cam need to make sure that he. . ."

"We'll watch out for him like a brother," he vowed.

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"We'll make sure everything is taken care of, but I don't have to worry about that. You're too stubborn to let someone else do your job for you," he told her with a smile.

She bit her lip. "If something does happen, when you all find the son of a bitch responsible, don't let Aaron be the one to. . ."

"I'll do it. . ." he started but stopped when he heard the door behind him opening.

"Do what?" Hotch asked him as he studied Chuck and Kahlan trying to judge what they'd been talking about.

"Make sure you actually get some sleep tonight. She knows you were up all night," Chuck lied with a smile.

Kahlan smiled, too, and Hotch couldn't tell if that was the truth or not. "So what's this about?" he asked her quickly. The late night text telling him about a meeting hadn't revealed what it was going to be about.

"I found you some help."

"Who?" Cam asked.

"The current squad," Chuck told them proudly.

Hotch and Cam both looked shocked. "How? I can't believe the DNI would. . ." Cam started.

Hotch just smiled at his wife. His chest swelled a little to think that his wife had probably accomplished something that clearly seemed impossible to computer genius. He studied Kahlan a little closer. "What's wrong?" he asked suddenly worried.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"Don't give me that shit. What's wrong?"

She sighed. _He's learned to read me too well._ "It's just a headache. That bed has my neck all stiff," she tried to blow him off.

He squinted his eyes and studied her some more. "Are you sure that's all it is?"

"If you could come in here, I'd make you rub my neck and shoulders."

Hotch fixed her with his stare. _You didn't answer the question! God damn it!_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Don't worry about me, Aaron. You need to concentrate on finding these bastards," Kahlan told him seriously.

"You're my wife. I can worry as much as I want to," Hotch told her with a look that told her he didn't believe it was just sore muscles from sleeping in a strange bed.

"So what do you want to the squad to handle?" Chuck asked her to draw the attention away from her questionable health.

"I think they should head up the search for that idiot, Han," she suggested.

Hotch considered her words and nodded his agreement. If the new squad was even half as talented as he knew the three people with him are, then he would think the new squad would be a force to be reckoned with. He was about to say something when a knock on the door behind him got everyone's attention. "Enter," he said before anyone else could.

Hotch stared at the people who followed DNI Clapper into the room. Once they were in, the man at the back shut the door and locked it. Hotch noticed smiles on his wife and her friends' faces; apparently they knew some of the people who had joined them. Clapper went straight to Hotch and shook his hand. "I am very sorry about your family, Agent Hotchner, and I hope that these people will help you find those terrorists so that this can be handled quickly and efficiently. It would be nice to get this whole messed resolved without any more casualties."

"Thanks you, Sir. I hope so, too," Hotch told him with a small smile.

"Intros first, then I will leave and let you all decide how to proceed," Clapper started and turned to the people that had followed him in and held his hand out towards Hotch. "This is Agent Hotchner with the FBI. He is the head for this operation." Hotch nodded to the newcomers. Then Clapper turned to gesture to Kahlan. "Kahlan Hotchner, his wife, and my freelance specialist. Charles Lane, Kahlan's assistant, and finally Cameron Stillman, my head technical analyst," he finished with gestures to Chuck and Cam.

Then Clapper turned to a tall, dark haired man. "This is Damian Winters, team leader and strategic expert." He nodded like Hotch had. Next, Clapper motioned to a young black woman that looked more like a street thug than a secret agent. "Julie Becket, second in command, and communications and language expert." She smiled warmly. Clapper then turned to a massive man who had enough muscles for three men. "Samuel Pugh, explosives and weapons expert." He big man quirked his lips in a slight smile and grunted. Next, Clapper turned to a skinny Asian man. "Takashi Naruhiko, melee and surveillance expert." He smiled and waved his hand once. Clapper then turned to the last member, a thin, blond haired, blue eyed woman. "And last but not least, Brooke Stevens, technology expert." She smiled enthusiastically.

Clapper looked at all of them slowly. "I expect all of you to act like the professionals I know you are." Hotch wasn't sure what he meant by that, but he noticed Kahlan choke back chuckle. Clapper continued, "Of course, to everyone else, you all are a team from the NSA on loan to Agent Hotchner as part of the RRT."

He studied the motley crew of people in front of him. He would think that they were all in their twenties, and none of them looked like they were anything other than regular people. He tried to picture what Kahlan and them would have looked like back when they were on the squad. He smiled mentally. _What were you expecting, capes or sunglass and trench coats?_ He wasn't sure what to make of them yet. He'd wait until he saw them in action before he passed judgment, but he had the feeling that if they were anything like his wife, then he would get the chance to be impressed. _I hope they're as good as I think they are._

"If there aren't any questions from anyone," Clapper paused to make sure there wasn't. "Then I will leave you all to discuss the details." He looked at Kahlan and then to Hotch. "Keep me informed."

"Yes, Sir," Hotch told him and they all watched him leave.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Chuck laughed out loud. "Damn, Sai! I should have known you were on the squad," he said as he stuck out his hand to shake the Asian man's hand. He turned to Hotch and Cam. "This guy is a true to life, certifiable, ninja!"

Kahlan put her hand over her eyes as she shook her head, apparently embarrassed by Chuck's behavior.

"Really?" Cam asked, obviously impressed.

"Oh yeah. You should see the shit he can do," Julie told him with a smile. "Everyone calls me Jules, by the way, and this is Sam, Bee, and Sai," she told them as she gestured to the big man, the blond, and the Asian.

"And I'm Chuck, and that's Cam," Chuck told them.

"Cam Stillman, as in the Cam that stopped the whole September 99 computer glitch?" Bee asked Cam quickly.

Hotch was shocked. He remembered how in the summer of 1999 that there was a massive scare about the governments computers crashing on 9-9-99. People everywhere were worried about the computer systems that ran the water and electric plants among other things. When nothing happened, everyone assumed that it was just a scare tactic of the conspiracy theorists.

Cam blushed. "That was a team effort," is all he said.

Jules turned to Chuck. "And you're Chuck Lane?"

Chuck looked at her tentatively. "Yeah."

"Oh my God! You're the Chuck who was on the squad in the nineties?" Jules asked quickly, apparently knowing his name as well.

Chuck smiled and nodded goofily.

"Wow. They use the video of you and your partner taking out that Al Qaida camp as an example of how to do things right the first time," Jules told him, and they could all hear the admiration in her voice.

Chuck's grin got even bigger. "Really?"

"Yeah. What did you do, take out like twenty three of them that night?" Sam asked him.

"Twenty seven total, but I only got nine, Kay was being selfish that night," Chuck told them as he shot his thumb behind him to Kahlan. Kahlan rolled her eyes. Hotch shot her a shocked look.

The new squad all turned as one to Kahlan. "You're Kay Williams?" Bee asked her reverently.

Kahlan stood there passively. "That was my maiden name."

Hotch noticed that every one of the new squad members had looks that were a mix of shock and awe.

"Your work in Ireland against the IRA was impressive," Damian told her with a smile. Hotch's alpha stirred when Kahlan's eyes took in the man a little longer than Hotch was comfortable with.

"And what you did in Russia. . . that's was amazing!" Sai added.

"Nah, what she did in the Middle East and Desert Shield has to be her best work," Sam argued. Jules and Bee quickly nodded their agreement.

Kahlan cleared her throat as she glanced at Hotch and then gave them all a stern look that was obviously meant to shut them up.

"Oh, don't stop on my account. I'm finding all of this very. . . enlightening," Hotch told them.

"Oh, sorry," Jules apologized to Kahlan quickly after looking at Hotch. "I didn't mean to go all fangirl on you guys."

"It's fine. I just think there are more pressing things that need to be discussed right now," Kahlan told them.

"Right," Damian started as he stepped closer to the glass to get closer to Kahlan. "I would think you would want us to question anyone you have in custody first."

It was obvious that the man was deferring to Kahlan as the leader of the whole thing, and Hotch's alpha stirred again.

"We've already questioned them," Chuck told him defensively.

Hotch liked the way Chuck emphasized the 'we've', he was starting to get the impression that Chuck didn't like Damian any more than he did. Hotch wasn't sure what it was about the man, but he didn't like him, and he definitely didn't like the way he was looking at Kahlan.

"Yeah, but they might be able to get something else from them," Kahlan suggested with a smile, and Hotch's hand balled into a fist. "If there's a chance for new information, we need it and now."

"I would think we could get some things from them," Damian told her with a smile.

Hotch saw Chuck roll his eyes, he didn't blame him.

"Where are they being held?" Sam asked Hotch.

"At a facility in Quantico. The Navy has been keeping watch over them for us," Hotch told him.

"We can split them up to get it done quicker," Sai suggested.

"That would be wise. We are faced with a time sensitive issue," Cam pointed out. Hotch nodded his agreement. "I want to work on tracing down the invitations. Maybe we can figure out exactly where things went wrong."

"Take Bee with you," Kahlan told him. Cam and Bee both nodded.

"Ok, then," Chuck started. "You want us to get started?" He asked Hotch, and Hotch knew he only did it to emphasize that Hotch was in charge to the new people because any other time he would have just left to do it.

"Go," Hotch told them nodding to the door.

Most of them started for the exit, but Damian turned to Kahlan clearly expecting an order form her. Kahlan wasn't there. Hotch noticed that the door to Joey's room was open and he got worried.

Chuck also saw the door open. "You heard the boss," Chuck told Damian, and Damian didn't miss the threat on Chuck's face.

They all quickly left, and Hotch went to the adjoining room so he could see what was going on in Joey's room. Hotch relaxed when he realized that Joey was still sleeping. Kahlan saw him, gave him a strange look, and nodded back to the other room. They both went back to the other rooms.

"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure she was still sleeping. I thought we were done," Kahlan told him as she walked up to the glass.

"We were. I just got scared when I saw you were in there."

She gave him a small smile and put her hand on the glass. He put his hand up to hers. "So close, and yet, so far away," she told him wistfully.

"Feel like a fish yet?"

"That's not funny!"

He chuckled. "Yes it was."

"More like a lab rat."

"Now, that, is not funny!"

She winced. "Yeah, I guess not. Sorry."

He shook his head.

Kahlan turned when she heard her hallway door open. In walked an older woman in a bio suit. They could both tell by the look on her face that she was not happy. "Mrs. Hotchner. You should have been hook up to these monitors last night. You need to get over here and let us do our job," the woman told her.

Kahlan couldn't tell if she was being mean or if it was just her natural voice and demeanor. Either way, Kahlan chose to ignore her and looked back at her husband. "How many more have been affected?"

Hotch glanced at the woman behind Kahlan and then back at his wife. "Total of five others. Kahlan, she's just trying to help you. Get over there and behave yourself," he told her in his fatherly tone.

"Yes. Listen to him. We need to know how you are doing," the woman demanded.

Kahlan gave Hotch a look, and he knew that she didn't like the woman. "Fine. I'll text you when Joey wakes up."

Hotch nodded. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too." She watched him leave and then sighed.

"Mrs. Hotchner!" the woman demanded again.

Kahlan bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything. _She's just doing her job,_ she had to tell herself as she walked to the bed slowly. "Where's Jenny?" She asked as she sat on the bed.

"She had the night shift. I am Major Timmons. Myself and three nurses under me will be with you today."

Kahlan didn't like her uppity attitude or the way she stressed the word major. She instantly hated her, but she just quietly laid down and let the woman do her job.

XXX

Rossi saw Hotch get back and he immediately went to join him in his office. "So? What was the meeting about?"

"Clapper brought in the Omega Squad."

Rossi sat down, the shock very evident on his face. "Really? You met them?"

"Yep."

"And?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Hotch looked at Rossi. "I don't know yet. Chuck and Kahlan knew one of them at least."

"That doesn't surprise me, I guess. Where are they?"

"Questioning the terrorists we have in custody. Damian, the squad leader, seems to think that they might be able to get something out of them that Kahlan and Chuck couldn't."

Rossi could tell by Hotch's tone that he didn't agree. He also thought there was something behind the way Hotch was talking. "You don't like this Damian?"

Hotch huffed. "I think I'll let you decide that for yourself."

Rossi studied his face. Hotch was a great judge of character, and if there was something about him he didn't like, then Rossi was sure there must be something Hotch wasn't telling him. "How are the girls doing?" Rossi asked to change the subject.

Hotch sighed. "I'm not sure. I think Kahlan was hiding something, but she tried to blow it off as being stiff from sleeping in a strange bed."

Rossi shook his head slowly. "She's probably trying to stop you from worrying."

"Like that could happen."

Rossi gave him a small smile. "I know. Maybe this new group will find something. We can use all of the help we can get."

Hotch nodded. "God, I hope so."

**XXXXX**

"Owww," Kahlan heard Joey cry from her room and she got up, ripped the monitors off of herself, and went into her daughter's room. Major Timmons was taking another blood sample from the four year old.

"Hold still. I will be done in a moment," Timmons' told her sternly.

Kahlan felt the blood rushing in her ears, but she didn't want to startle the woman while she had a needle stuck in her daughter's arm.

As soon as the little vile was full, Timmons pulled the needle out and placed a cotton ball on top of the puncture mark. "Hold that there and stop being such a baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Joey exclaimed as Kahlan clenched her teeth.

As soon as Timmons stood up and turned around, she noticed Kahlan. "Mrs. Hotchner! You cannot be out of bed. You need to stay hooked up to the monitors. . ."

Kahlan ignored her and went to Joey. "You ok, Pumpkin?" Kahlan asked her quickly. She could clearly see a bruise already forming in the bend of Joey's elbow, and she knew the older woman had been too rough.

"Yeah. I'm not a baby," Joey told her as she squared her shoulders.

Kahlan smiled at her. "Of course you're not! I need to talk to the lady in my room for a minute. I'll be back," she told her as she leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek. Her heart sank a little when she felt how hot they were. _God, damn it!_ She forced another smile for her daughter, but as soon as she turned around, the smile was nowhere to be seen. She fixed the Major with a look. "My room, please." She told her coldly and walked past her back into her room. She waited for the older woman in join her and she shut the door behind her.

"Mrs. Hotchner, if you are not going. . ."

Kahlan advanced on her and stopped just inches away from her face. "If you step one foot into my daughter's room again, you will not live long enough to regret it," Kahlan told her venomously.

Timmons' eyes grew wide. "Are you threatening me?"

"I don't make threats; I make promises."

"Well. I never!"

"Oh, I bet you have!"

"I don't know who you think you are, but I will not have some housewife try and tell me how to do my job! You will get back in that bed, and you will stay there!" Timmons demanded as she pointed towards Kahlan's bed.

"Who is your Commanding Officer?"

"What? Why do you need to know that?"

Kahlan looked up at the camera that was closest. "If whoever is in charge doesn't get in here in the next thirty seconds, I will come out there to find him or her." She looked at her watch to emphasize that she was keeping track of the time.

"How dare you! You have no idea what could happen if you left this room. You could endanger. . ." Timmons started, but stopped when the door opened and Dr. Hamill walked in.

"Mrs. Hotchner, you need to calm down. . ."

"Who is her CO?" Kahlan demanded to know.

"Coronel Billings is the acting head of this department." Hamill told her.

"Charlie Billings?" Kahlan asked her with raised brows. Hamill nodded and Kahlan took out her phone.

"What are you doing with that in here? Jesus, didn't any of you do your job when you checked her in?" Timmons asked Hamill with disdain.

"Charlie? Kay. Not very well, actually. So, you do know? Yes, thank you. I appreciate that. I do have a problem, though, that I'm hoping you can help me with," Kahlan kept talking as she walked as far away from the women as she could. Within a minute, she walked back up to Hamill with a satisfactory smile on her face.

"What? He didn't want to talk to me?" Timmons asked sarcastically, clearly thinking Kahlan hadn't accomplished anything.

Suddenly the speaker in the ceiling sounded. "Call for you, Major Timmons, it's Colonel Billings."

Kahlan actually laughed at the look of shock on the woman's face.

Timmons turned and left with a huff.

"You're not just an agent's wife are you?" Hamill asked her as she studied Kahlan's face.

Kahlan chuckled. "No, but Billings' son plays soccer with my boys. We've known each other for over two years."

**XXXXX**

About an hour later, Reid knocked on Hotch's door. Hotch looked up and noticed Reid's hesitation. "What?" Hotch asked quickly as he stood up.

"We just got the report in from Walter Reed," Reid told him as he held out the report to his boss.

Hotch took it and quickly read it. Seven total people had been exposed to the powder. Three agents, a seventy-two year old mother of a young agent, and a twelve year old boy of another agent all joined Kahlan and Joey in the Bio Unit. With over two hundred invitations being sent out, the number of people exposed was extremely small, and Hotch knew it was because of the alert Kahlan had Garcia send out. Hotch didn't think that the number is what had Reid on edge, though, so he flipped the page hesitantly. Hotch's heart skipped a beat when amidst all of the medical mumbo-jumbo, he ran across the words: 'synthesized' and 'mutated'. _NO!_ Their worst fears were being realized. Someone had tried to infect the whole agency with a manmade disease. _God, please, no!_ It became hard for Hotch to breath as his heart started racing. He looked at Reid with pleading eyes. "What does all of this mean?"

"They haven't been able to identify it yet, but they are sure something is there."

_That's what she was hiding. God, Damn it!_ "So they don't know how to treat it obviously."

"They don't want to do anything more than the full spectrum things they've already given them until they are able to identify it. They don't want to submit them to something that may hinder things along the way."

"Does it say anything about prognosis?" Hotch asked him quickly.

"No. They couldn't begin to speculate on that without knowing what they're facing."

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Reid told him sympathetically.

"I need to go check on them," Hotch told him as he left his office.

Rossi saw the look of concern on Hotch's face and quickly joined him on his way to the elevator. "What's wrong?"

"I just found out what Kahlan was hiding."

"Oh no," Rossi said softly. He could tell what Hotch was talking about from his demeanor. "Do they know what it is?" He asked as he followed Hotch into the elevator, clearly deciding to go with his 'son'.

"Not yet," Hotch told him weakly. "But they know it's not natural," he told him as his eyes teared up.

"It will be alright, Aaron. They will figure it out, and they will save them," Rossi told him calmly.

"How can you be so sure? If they don't figure out what it is fast enough, they could. . ." He couldn't bring himself to finish the thought and he took a shuddering breath.

"Just stop. Until you have a reason, don't even think it!" Rossi told him sternly as he put a supportive hand on Hotch's shoulder.

Hotch ran a hand down his face as he took a deep breath. "I'll try."

XXX

Hotch and Rossi went straight to the room connected with Kahlan's, but she wasn't there. Hotch was instantly even more scared. Rossi went back out of the door and went to the adjoining room. He came back in with a small smile. "She's with Joey."

Hotch quickly went to the next room and smiled when he saw his girls. Kahlan was laying in Joey's bed with her, and Joey was curled up next to her mother with her head resting on stomach. Kahlan's arm was protectively wrapped around Joey's shoulder. They were both asleep. As much as Hotch wanted to talk to his wife, he couldn't bring himself to wake them. He stood there admiring the simple sight that had always brought joy to his heart before. Seeing them like that, and knowing they were infected, though, made his stomach tighten into a knot. A tear escaped the corner of his eye as he sighed deeply. Rossi put his hand on Hotch's shoulder again.

Kahlan opened her eyes slowly as she felt someone looking at her. She smiled warmly when she saw who it was. Hotch quickly wiped his face and tried to return the smile. She saw the way he was acting and immediately got concerned. She easily slipped out from under her daughter and nodded towards her room. They met her back in the original room as she shut the door to Joey's room quietly. She turned to her husband. "Why are you here?" She asked with concern.

Hotch studied her face. "Well, I came here with plans of chewing you out, but when I saw you were asleep, I couldn't bring myself to wake you up."

"Chewing me out? What the hell have I done now?"

"Why would you think that it was a good idea to hide that from me?"

"What?" She asked, not sure what he was referring to.

"You should have told me yourself. Finding out from someone else, was just wrong."

She smirked, she knew what he was talking about. "Damn Aaron, do I need to write it down chronologically and list everything?" _I wondered how long it would take him to question me about what the squad said._

Hotch gave her a confused look. "What?"

"Wait, what are you talking about?" She asked him, clearly confused just as much as he was.

"What were you talking about?"

"Apparently not the same thing as you." she shook her head. "Why are you going to chew me out?"

"You should have told me you guys were infected. That would have been a lot easier. . ."

Kahlan's expression slowly turned into one of fear and anger. "What?" She demanded.

Hotch's expression turned into one of self-loathing as he realized she didn't know. "Oh, my God, Babe. I am so sorry."

Kahlan turned on her heel and went to the hallway door. She pounded on it once as she looked at the camera in the ceiling. "Dr. Hamill! Get in here now!"

"Kahlan," Hotch tried to get her attention. "I'm sorry. I just thought. . ."

"Of course you thought they would have told me. Why wouldn't they have told me?"

Dr. Hamill came into the room cautiously. It was obvious that Kahlan was pissed. "Mrs. Hotchner," she tried to be cordial, and then turned to Hotch. "Agent Hotchner, Agent Rossi."

"Why wouldn't you," Kahlan and Hotch started at the same time. Rossi smiled in spite of the situation.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kahlan repeated as she fixed the doctor with a look that told her to talk to her and not her husband.

"Mrs. Hotchner, I am sorry that your husband found out before you, but he is in charge of this whole thing. I would have called him personally, but the report was sent out before I had a chance."

"That's doesn't explain why you didn't tell me," Kahlan told her flatly.

"We have found that patients do better if they are not told. The mental state of the patient has a strong correlation to their physical wellbeing."

Kahlan shook her head. "What is it?"

"We haven't figured that out yet."

"And yet you know we are infected for sure?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, but they are working around the clock to try and identify it."

"Joey's fever?"

Hotch's stomach flipped, and Rossi put a supportive hand on Hotch's back.

"Yes, but you two aren't showing the symptoms everyone else is."

Kahlan studied her face. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone else that has been infected is doing a lot worse than you two. You aren't showing any symptoms, unless you're hiding them. . ."

"I had a headache this morning, but it's gone now," Kahlan admitted with a glance at her husband.

Hamill nodded. "And your daughter's fever is mild compared to those in the other patients."

"Why?"

"We aren't sure exactly. Your blood work shows antibodies attacking the infected cells, and Joey's shows some, too, but not as many as you. The injections you gave her are also playing a big part."

Hotch locked eyes with Kahlan, and he knew that she had only given the shots Chuck talked about to their daughter. His chest tightened a little.

"Then give the shots to everyone else. You have to be able to get them, if not, I can call. . ."

"We have, but they just aren't as effective at this stage."

Kahlan ran a hand through the top of her hair in frustration. "Why are you having so much trouble trying to identify it?"

"Because it's man made," Hotch injected.

Kahlan looked at him, and he could see fear on her face. She nodded her understanding.

"If you're questions are done for now, I really. . ."

"Go, and thank you," Kahlan told her and the doctor left the room. Kahlan walked up to the glass in front of her husband.

He noticed she swallowed hard. "Babe, I'm so sorry. I really. . ."

"You need to go, Aaron. You need to find the son of a bitch who made this."

He nodded and put his hand on the glass as his eyes watered up.

Her hand joined his. "I don't care what you have to do, you have to find. . ."

"I will," he vowed again. They locked eyes. After a second, she shot a glance towards Joey's room, and then locked eyes with him again. Hers were pleading him to succeed and save their daughter. His chest tightened because he wasn't sure he'd be able to. "I love you," he told her weakly.

"I love you, too. Now go!"

He nodded again and Rossi could sense that Hotch feared leaving, so he gave Kahlan a small smile. She nodded and Rossi pulled Hotch out of the room.


	21. Chapter 21

***** Pictures of the new Omega Squad are up on the website. **** - talesofhoffer. webs. com (for those of you who don't know – no spaces, of course)**

**Chapter 21**

Kahlan let a few tears fall down her cheeks. She knew Hotch was scared, and it broke her heart to think that she was stuck in that damn room and not able to help him. She also knew he wanted to stay with her in case something happened, but she knew he needed to oversee things to get them done. _If anyone can get all of those people to work together towards a common goal, it's Aaron._ She sent up a prayer to thank God that she had such an amazing husband. A smile grew on her face and she took out her phone. She quickly selected a link and sent it to his phone. She went and sat on the chair as she tried to think of what she could do to help.

**XXXXX**

Rossi drove them back towards the BAU. Hotch sat in the passenger seat quietly thinking about everything. His phone vibrated and he took it out. He smiled as he realized Kahlan had sent him a link to a video. Rossi noticed his smile. "What?"

"Kahlan sent me a song. Even with everything that's she's going through, she can still think of a song to send me," Hotch told him as he clicked the link. Chicago's 'You're the Inspiration' started playing. He shook his head as he listened to the song. He had heard it many times before, but to know that she was sending him the song, made him smile. _Yes, our love was meant to be!_ He chuckled lightly. _You're always on my mind, too, Babe. _He reached up and wiped a stray tear away as the song was reaching its end. _I just hope 'to the end of time' isn't anytime soon._

He quickly texted Donna and asked for a new song that he could send to Kahlan. 'One that truly tells her I can't live without her,' he told her.

'lol. K. Hold on a sec.'

"You sending her one?" Rossi asked him with a smile. _God, I love the love those two share!_

"Yes. I'm getting Donna's help as we speak," Hotch confessed with a grin.

Rossi smiled and shook his head.

'Got it! It's perfect!' Donna texted and then sent him the link. As he listened to the song, he smiled sadly. _Ain't that the truth!_ He quickly sent it to his wife and then texted Donna to tell her 'thank you' and put his phone away.

**XXXXX**

Kahlan was pacing in the little room. She couldn't stand being trapped in the room and not able to help. Her phone vibrated. She took it out and smiled when she realized that Hotch had sent her a song. She touched the link and went back to the chair to listen to the song she hadn't heard before. Thompson Square's 'If I Didn't Have You' played, and she listened to it intently. When the lines: 'When I'm weak, you're strong,' and 'You were made for me' played, her eyes watered. _And that's why we are so perfectly suited for each other, Aaron, because we were made for each other!_ She finished the song and put her phone away as a smile grew on her face.

Movement in the hall caught her eye, so she went to the little window in the door and watched as several of the nurses and such were rushing in and out of the room directly across from hers. Her chest tightened when she realized that whoever was in the room had lost the fight to the unidentified attacker. She turned away from the door as tears fell down her cheeks. After a few minutes, she felt her anger rising and she turned and kicked the chair across the room.

She took a couple minutes to calm herself down, and then went into Joey's room.

**XXXXX**

Chuck drove the SUV back to the BAU. Damian sat in the passenger seat and fixed him with a look. "So what is Kay really like?"

Chuck looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on. She's the biggest star of the OS. Is she as exciting as the stories make her out to be?"

Chuck laughed. "She can be."

"What the hell does she see in Hotchner?"

"What?!" Chuck asked him coldly.

"Seriously. He's a flippin suit, for Christ's sake. What could she possibly see in him? I would think she'd be with someone like us over someone like him," Damian told him with a cocky grin.

Chuck slammed on his brakes almost making the SUV carrying the rest of the squad behind them, rear end him. He turned in his seat and fixed the younger man with a deadly look. "I know you're young and foolish, so I'm going to give you a little piece of advice: you better rethink whatever it is your thinking before you get yourself into a lot of trouble."

Damian stared at him. Then he huffed and turned to the window without another word. Chuck shook his head and started back down the road to the BAU.

**XXXXX**

Kahlan's chest tightened when she realized the Joey wasn't doing as well as she had been. _No! Please God!_ Joey looked pale and with the way her little face was scrunched up, Kahlan knew she was in pain. She went to her and sat on the side of the bed beside her. Joey hadn't touched her tray of food. "What's wrong, Pumpkin?" Kahlan asked her tenderly as she put her arm around her.

"My tummy and my head hurts," Joey told her with a pout.

Kahlan took a deep breath. "Anything else?"

Joey coughed, and Kahlan wanted to scream. "My chest does a little, too."

"Oh, Baby. I'm so sorry. I'll go talk to the doctors. I'm sure they can give you something. Ok?" Joey nodded weakly. Kahlan gave her a kiss on the cheek and also realized Joey's fever was getting worse. She knew they had given her medicine for it already and it scared her to think the medicine wasn't helping. "I'll be right back," she assured her with a kiss on the head. With one more look at her daughter, Kahlan took a deep breath and headed back into her room and looked at the camera. "Dr. Hamill, I need to talk to you."

**XXXXX**

Chuck escorted the Omega Squad into the BAU. He had called Hotch as soon as they were done questioning the terrorists and Hotch wanted to move on the information they had been able to get as soon as they could. Chuck knew Hotch was in hurry to find whoever made the powder, and Chuck understood because he was just as worried as Hotch was.

By the time Chuck stepped off the elevator, Cam and Bee were back and a whole group of the RRT was awaiting instructions. Chuck had told Hotch about a couple of houses the terrorists were using, and everyone was hoping that the leader of the terrorist group or the person responsible for the powder would be found.

Hotch was surprised that the squad had gotten any new information, but he had to hand it to them; they got two new addresses for them to check out. Cam, Bee, and Garcia had traced down the invitations being picked up at the printers, and they had also given him another address for them to raid. Hotch busied himself spitting up the people involved and briefing them on what had been discovered about each location. With as many people waiting in the BAU, each location would be covered by fifteen to twenty people. Hotch split up his team so he would be with team one, Morgan and JJ would be with team two, and Reid and Mack would be with team three. Even though Rossi was adamant about wanting to help, Hotch denied him going on the raid because he wasn't cleared for field work yet. He looked over the new squad and went ahead and split them up, too. He wanted to find out if Damian would butt heads against him again, or if it was just when he was around Kahlan. When Damian accepted what Hotch had to say without any nonverbals or anything, Hotch's alpha wanted to growl. He then knew that it was Kahlan the man was trying to impress, and it pissed him off even more; so he sent him with Morgan's team.

**XXXXX**

"Mrs. Hotchner, we are trying everything we can. Without actually knowing what we are dealing with, we just can't do anything very specific."

"How can it be so hard to identify? You all have the latest technology and equipment. . ."

"We have narrowed it down, but it is a very complicated bug. I've never seen anything so complex. It's is like whoever made it, made it out of a mixture of things."

Kahlan's heart sank. If they were having trouble with it, then that meant only an actual cure or antidote would save them. One person had already died, and Joey was starting to get sicker. It scared her to think that Joey didn't have the time Aaron needed. "I want you to put Joey in a comma."

"What?" Hamill asked as her brows furrowed.

"Put her in a comma and cool her down. That will slow everything down. It will also slow the bug down," Kahlan told her flatly.

Mark thought about it, "That might help slow it down, but it won't stop it."

"They will find the son of a bitch who made this, they just need more time," Kahlan told him seriously.

"Mrs. Hotchner, your daughter still has time. I don't think we would have to do something so drastic," Hamill tried to assure her.

"But you've already lost one. . ."

"Mrs. Dillon was seventy-two and already had a compromised immune system. . ."

"I don't care. I don't want to wait until she gets worse. She's in pain already," Kahlan argued.

Hamill studied her face.

"It can't hurt her right?" Kahlan asked her quickly. She had already gone over everything she knew of the subject in her head, and she couldn't remember anything that would make her not want to do it.

Hamill licked her lips. "I don't know of any way it could. Maybe it would help slow it down."

"We could actually do it with all of them," Mark suggested.

Hamill considered it. She smiled when she looked at Kahlan. "Are you sure you're not a doctor?"

Kahlan laughed. "Nah, but I have read a lot. I want my husband and boys to come up and see her first." Kahlan realized that if they put Joey in the comma and couldn't find and the answers they needed, that she might never wake up again.

"Of course. We will contact everyone's families and get their approval," Mark said and then left.

Hamill gave Kahlan a small smile. "I really hope your husband gets us what we need," she told her and squeezed her arm on the way out.

Kahlan took a deep breath and took out her phone. She texted Rossi, first, 'What's Aaron doing?'

'Going to a raid. What do you need?'

Kahlan bit her lip to help stop the tears that wanted to form. 'He needs to see Joey, and I want him to bring the boys.'

Rossi didn't answer the text. Instead he called her. "Oh, Kiddo. I'm so sorry." Rossi told her as soon as the call connected.

"God, Dave. . ." Kahlan broke down, not being able to stay strong after hearing his voice.

Rossi gave her a few minutes to calm down. "Does he need to come now? I can get him back here."

Kahlan took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "Not if it isn't going to take him too long, but I don't want him to wait too long either. . . I don't know."

"Let me call him and see how things are going. He has enough people with him that I would think it would be alright if he wasn't there."

"But he probably wants to be there to oversee everything."

"Let me call him," Rossi told her. "Then I'll call you back."

"Ok. Thanks, Dave. I don't think I could. . ."

"It's fine," he told her quickly, understanding what she didn't say.

**XXXXX**

Hotch took a deep breath as he pulled up to the house to pick up the boys. Donna was with them. He didn't want to have to tell them about Joey, but he knew they needed to know and they would be mad if they weren't able to see her. They came out of the door before he was out of the car. He had called them to tell them they were going to see their mother and sister, and he had wanted them to get ready. As soon as they looked at him, they knew it wasn't going to be a good visit. "Dad?" Jack him quickly.

"Let me go talk to Donna, then we'll go," he told them as he walked toward the door.

Jack took a deep breath and followed his father after a quick look to Wyatt. Wyatt nodded and followed.

Donna told him that while she wanted to also see Joey, she didn't want to scare her niece to much by having the whole family show up. Hotch understood, Joey was too smart for them to try and hide what the whole family showing up would mean. "Besides, you will solve this and you will save her," she told him seriously.

He gave her a small smile. He wished he could be as optimistic as she was. "Well, I better get going," he told her as he rubbed a hand on the back of his neck.

She pulled him into a hug. "She'll make it through this, Aaron. Have some faith. She's too much like her mother to give up."

He hugged her back and actually gave her a smile. "Yeah, she's just like Kahlan."

"And right now, that's a good thing," she told him with a sly smile.

He chuckled and turned to the boys. "You guys ready?" They nodded and Hotch noticed Wyatt had his backpack. With one more look at Donna, they headed out.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Let me go in and talk to Mom first," Hotch told his sons. They nodded and he went into the room connected to his wife's. "Hey," he said. As soon as he saw her, though, tears filled his eyes and spilled over onto his cheeks.

"Oh, Hun," Kahlan said tenderly and went to the glass. She put her hand on it and his joined hers. "Come on, Aaron. You can't let her see how scared you are."

Hotch nodded weakly. "I know. . . I just. . ."

"She needs you to be strong, Hun."

He nodded again and wiped his face.

"You know, her strong, knight in shining armor."

He half-heartedly grinned as he thought about all of the stories about knights, castles, and dragons he had read to his daughter. "Ok," he told her and took a deep breath as he looked at the floor. After a few moments, he brought his head back up and he had his work face on.

"There you go," she told him with a small smile. "Are you going to suit up so you can come in?"

"You don't think that will scare her?"

She pursed her lips as she thought about it. "I think being able to hold her Daddy's hand will surpass any fear she may have over it." She gave him a small smile. "Besides I could really use a hug, too."

"I'm so sorry you have to face this alone."

"I'm not alone in this, Aaron. I know you're right here with me. Even if you can't be in the same room, I know you're here," she told him as she touched her chest.

"Are you sure this is necessary?"

"It will hopefully bide her the time that's needed."

His eyes cut to the side as he clenched his teeth. _The time I need to catch the son of a bitch! God, please give me the time!_

"Aaron."

He closed his eyes as his chest tightened. _And if I can't?_

"Aaron! Look at me!"

He opened his eyes and slowly looked at her.

"You will find them."

"How can you be so sure?" He asked her weakly.

"Because I have faith in you," she told him honestly.

He sighed heavily. "God, I really hope your faith isn't misplaced."

"Stop. If you start doubting yourself, you're never going to succeed."

He stood up straighter and squared his shoulders. "You're right. We will find them," he told her strongly.

"That's right!" She told him with a small smile. She took a deep breath. "I'll tell her you guys are here."

"Alright. I'll go see Hamill."

Once Hotch was in the hallway with his sons, he gave them a weak smile. "They won't let you go in, but she'll be able to see and hear you through the glass."

They nodded and Wyatt took his backpack off. He unzipped it and handed its contents to Hotch. "Would you give this to her for me?"

Hotch reached a tentative hand out and accepted the gift. "Are you sure?"

Wyatt took a deep breath and then smiled sadly. "Yeah."

Hotch squeezed his shoulder. He wanted to tell them that everything was going to be alright; that their sister would be fine, but he knew he couldn't. They were too smart and too aware for him to try to get anything past them, and he wasn't sure of the outcome himself. He took a deep breath. "Go," Jack told him as if he could read his thoughts. "We'll be fine," he assured him. Hotch nodded and went to find Hamill while the boys went into the room connecting to Joey's room.

"Hey, guys," Kahlan told her little men. _Well, not so little anymore._ They studied her and their little sister, and Kahlan could see the fear in their faces, and her heart ached for them.

Joey jumped off the bed with a smile and ran up to the glass. She put her hands on it as she looked up at her brothers. She giggled and then squished her face up against the glass and blew air out of her mouth to make a funny face. They all laughed at her.

"You are so weird," Wyatt told her with a laugh.

She drew back. "Yep, but you still love me," she told him and they could both tell she wasn't feeling good.

"Yep," Jack told her with a smile as he put his hand on the glass on top of hers. Wyatt put his hand on top of Joey's other hand.

"Where's Daddy?" She asked them.

"Getting in a suit so he can come in and see you," Kahlan told her as she put a hand on Joey's shoulder.

Joey looked at her quickly. "He can't come in. He can't get sick, too!"

"He'll be alright. He's going to put a suit on like the nurses," Kahlan explained as she knelt down next to her.

Joey covered her mouth as she coughed and then looked at her brothers safely on the other side of the glass. Then she fixed her mother with her stare. "You sure he'll be ok?"

"Yeah, Pumpkin, he'll be safe."

Joey nodded and turned back to her brothers. "You guys look like animals at the pet store behind that glass."

They laughed. "You're the one behind the glass, but don't worry, no one would want to buy you," Jack joked with her.

"Hey!" She yelled at him and then stuck out her tongue. Jack returned the gesture with enthusiasm.

"Alright, children," Hotch told them both as he came into the room.

"Daddy!" Joey yelled and then went to him and tried to jump into his arms like normal, but she couldn't get herself far enough off the ground. Hotch bent down and caught her.

"Hey, Angel," he told her with a smile and then he glanced past her shoulder at Kahlan. Kahlan shook her head and turned quickly away. Hotch saw her quickly wipe her face. He looked back at his daughter. "How you feeling?"

"Not good," she told him with a pout.

He took her to the bed and sat her on in. "Well, maybe this will help," he told her as he pulled Wyatt's present out of a bag and gave it to her.

Her eyes got wide as she reached for the ragged, old, stuffed elephant. Once it was in her hands, she turned to Wyatt. "Daddy Lump, Wy? Are you sure?" She asked him as her eyes watered up.

"You can't have him." Wyatt told her quickly. "You have to give him back to me as soon as you get home," he continued as his eyes filled with tears.

"Ok," she told him as she nodded and hugged the elephant Wyatt had slept with throughout his childhood.

"You promise?" Wyatt asked her quickly. Her confused look made him explain. "You have to promise to bring him back to me. You have to promise to put him back on the self in my room," he told her as his bottom lip quivered.

"Mommy will put him back. . ." Joey started.

"No, Joe. You have to," Wyatt insisted. He wasn't sure she understood that he was trying to make her promise to make it, to live.

She looked down at the elephant, took a deep breath, coughed, wiped her face, and squared her shoulders just like her father always did. "I promise."

"And Hotchner's don't break promises, right Jack?" Wyatt asked him as he hit him on the shoulder.

Jack stood up straight and also squared his shoulders. "That's right."

Hotch noticed Kahlan bit her lip as she watched the exchange between her children. She noticed him looking at her and she shook her head slightly.

Jack watched his parents and felt his chest tighten. "Well, we better let Dad have a few moments with you. I love you, Joey," he told her with a smile.

"I love you, too," Wyatt quickly added.

"I love you guys. You're the best brothers in the whole world," Joey told them seriously.

"Of course we are," Jack told her and she laughed. "We'll see you back home."

"Yep," she told him as she nodded.

Jack grabbed Wyatt's arm and they left the little room. Kahlan looked at her husband. "I'll give you a few minutes," she told him and went back into her room and shut the door.

Hotch took a deep breath and pulled the chair up next to Joey's bed and sat down as he grabbed her hand.

Joey made sure the door to Kahlan's room was shut and then leaned over to talk to her father privately. "Can you do me a favor, Daddy?"

He studied her face. "Of course, Angel."

"You have to feed Fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?"

She scooted closer to him. "You member that little box Jack helped me build?"

"Yeah?"

"Fuzzy lives in it. It's up in the tree in the back yard."

Hotch smiled as he started to understand. "You have a bird up there?"

Joey looked down at her lap.

"It's not a bird?" Hotch asked her quickly as he imagined all sorts of things his daughter might have caught and put in the box.

"You promise not to tell Mommy?" She asked him as she gave him her best pout; the one she only reserved for when she really wanted something from her Daddy.

Hotch eyed her warily. _Those damn puppy eyes get me every time!_ He sighed. "I promise."

"Fuzzy's a bat."

"A bat?" Hotch asked as the thought of rabies jumped into his mind.

She smiled enough that her dimples shown. "Yep. Others live in there sometimes, too, but Fuzzy's the only one who will let me hold him. I take him fruit. Nectarines and grapes are his favorite."

He shook his head as he returned the smile. _And now I know why you're always up in that damn tree._

"You'll feed him for me?" She asked again seriously.

"How about if I get the boys to take care of Fuzzy?"

"They'll tell Mommy."

"I'll make them promise, too," he assured her. He didn't want to think about having to climb the tree.

She studied his face for a moment. "Ok." She finally scooted back into the bed and laid down.

He could tell she was tired. "You know I love you, right?" He asked her as he brushed her hair back from her face.

"Of course, but I love you more!" She told him as she hugged the elephant close to her chest.

He chuckled, but his heart hurt. He couldn't believe that his little angel was sick, and as much as he didn't want to think it, the possibility of her never waking up from the induced comma was real, and it made it hard for him to breathe. "Give me a hug," he told her quickly as he reached and picked her up from the bed. He needed to get out of there before he lost his resolve.

She squeezed his neck as hard as the suit would allow, and he held on to her tightly. "It be alright, Daddy," she told him as she let him go.

He took a deep breath and finally let her go. "I know," he told her with a smile as she laid back down and he covered her up. "Always remember, Daddy loves his little Angel."

"Always," she told him as she covered up Daddy Lump.

"I have to go see Mommy, and then I have to go. . ."

"Catch the bad guys," she finished for him.

He gave her one more smile, and she closed her eyes and pretended to go to sleep. He took one more, long look at his angel and then left the room.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Hotch went into Kahlan's room to find her chatting with the boys about the upcoming school year. When they saw their father, his look told them that he wanted to talk to their mother alone. "I guess we'll see you at home," Jack told his mother.

She smiled knowingly at him. "Of course you will, and your rooms better be clean before I get there."

Wyatt gave her a feigned hurt look. "My room is always clean."

"Not your clean, my clean. I would like to be able to actually see the floor when I walk across it."

"I know where everything is," he defended himself.

"Come on, Wyatt," Jack told him as he grabbed Wyatt's shoulder. "Love you, Mom," he told her as they headed for the door.

"I love you, too," Wyatt told her.

"I love you guys more," Kahlan told them with another smile and they were gone. She took a deep breath and turned to her husband. She gave him a grin. "Not exactly shining armor, but you even make that suit look gallant."

He gave her a cockeyed grin. "Yeah? Then why do I feel like a Teletubbie?"

She chuckled, but he could see tears filling her eyes.

"Come here," he told her as he held his arms open. She went to him and he swallowed her in a hug. He felt her start to sob against his chest. "Come on, Babe. She's going to be alright," he told her as he held on to her tightly. She nodded against him, but she didn't move to pull away from him, so he held her as long as she needed him to. After a few moments, he felt her calming down. "She's waiting for you to tuck her in."

"Ok," she started as wiped her face and pulled away far enough to be able to see his face. "Sorry, I just. . ."

He grabbed her shoulders. "Stop. You don't need to apologize for loving your children."

She nodded and took a deep breath. "When this is over, we need to go somewhere."

He pulled her back into another hug. "That'd be nice. Where do you want to go?"

"Maybe Scotland, or England, that way Joey could see a real castle."

He laughed as he imagined his daughter climbing on the ruins of some ancient castle. "She'd like that." He held her out at arm's length. "You ok?"

She forced a smile. "Yeah. You better go. I know you left during a raid. You need to find out what they found."

"I know." He pulled her back into one more hug. While it wasn't the same as actually being able to touch her, the closeness was still better than being separated by glass.

She hugged him back strongly and then pulled away from him. "I love you."

"I love you." His eyes locked with hers, and their eyes conveyed the love they felt. After a few long seconds, he nodded and left the room. She sighed heavily as she watched him go and then went in to see their daughter.

XXX

By the time Hamill was ready, Rossi had shown up. Kahlan gave him a small smile. _I should have known Aaron wouldn't let me be alone for this._

"Poppi!" Joey yelled as she ran to the glass. She smiled up at him, but he could tell by the way her brows were furrowed that she had a headache.

_You look just like your father._ "Hey, Bella. How's my sweetheart?" Rossi asked as he knelt down to look her in the eyes.

"I don't feel too good," she told him with a pout.

"Yeah, that's what I heard, but the doctor's gonna make you all better," he assured her. She gave him a look that told him she wasn't so sure, though, and his heart sank.

Kahlan walked up and put a hand on Joey's shoulder and gave Dave a look that also told him that she wasn't sure either.

"Hey, Kiddo," Dave told her as he stood up.

Dr. Hamill walked into the room. "I think we're ready," she told them with a small smile.

Kahlan glanced at Dave quickly and reached down and picked up her daughter. "Come on, Pumpkin."

"I love you, Poppi," Joey told him as she stared at him as she was carried to the bed.

"I love you, too, Bella," Rossi told her as his eyes watered.

Kahlan sat her on the bed and Joey positioned herself to lay down as she clung to Daddy Lump. "Am I gonna die, Mommy?"

Kahlan's heart skipped a beat as her breath caught in her throat. She tried to swallow the lump that had formed. "I sure hope not," Kahlan told her as she sat beside her and put her arm around her and pulled her tightly to her.

"If I do, will I get to meet Grandpa Williams?" Joey asked her seriously.

Kahlan smiled at the thought of her father. "Yes, I think he would be there to greet you."

"Would he teach me how to fish like he did you?" Joey asked her quickly.

Kahlan chuckled. "He would love to teach you how to fish."

"But we'd have to put them back," she insisted.

"He'd let you."

"I don't wanna kill any fishys."

"I know." Kahlan told her and kissed the top of her head. "Grandpa would understand."

"K," Joey told her as she pressed in closer to her mother's side.

"You're just going to go to sleep," Hamill told her with a smile as she and Liz prepared to put her under.

"You sit with me until I do?" Joey asked Kahlan.

"Of course, Pumpkin." Kahlan told her as she got up to allow Joey to lay down. Once she was settled, Kahlan covered her up and sat down next to her and grabbed her hand. "I love you sooooo much," Kahlan told her as her eyes filled with tears.

"I love you more," Joey told her as she reached up and wiped a tear off her mother's cheek. "It'll be alright," Joey assured her.

"I know. You're so strong. . ."

"I see you when I wake up," Joey told her with a smile that revealed her dimples.

Kahlan took a shuddering breath. She wasn't sure if Joey truly felt that way or if she was just trying to be brave for her mother's sake. "Yep." She told her as she bit her lip to stop her tears from getting worse. She nodded to Hamill.

Hamill reached down and stuck a needle into Joey's arm. "You're going to . . ." Is all Joey heard as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Kahlan clenched her teeth as she fought the sting of tears. She kissed her daughter's cheek one more time and got up. One more look and then she went into her room without another word.

Dave wiped his face and went to the room connecting with Kahlan's. He found her sitting on the floor with her back to the glass. She was holding her legs in front of her tightly. He knelt down beside her. "I'm going to fight him for that right," he told her through his own tears.

Kahlan looked at him and knew he was referring to her father and teaching Joey how to fish. "And I really hope you win that fight." She didn't hold back her tears any longer. "Jesus, Dave, I can see me getting this because of all of the shit I've done in my life, but not her. Not Joey. She hasn't done anything to deserve this."

"You don't deserve this either! And if God has a heart, he will see her through this," he told her seriously. His faith was strong, and he knew God would not put his family through the loss of a child. He knew how that felt, and he didn't want his loved ones to have to go through that pain, too. She put her head on her knees and cried. "Come on, Kiddo. Aaron will find them and he will save her."

She took a few shuddering breaths. Finally, she raised her head and turned to look at him. She sniffed and looked him in the eyes. "I know." She sat up straighter and smiled. "He doesn't know how to fail."

"That's right," he told her with a smile.

**XXXXX**

After Hotch dropped off the boys, he made his way to the closest raid. He thought about his wife and daughter as he rode in the silent vehicle. _It has only been a little over twenty-four hours and Joey is already doing poorly. Please God, please let her make it. _He took a deep breath and wondered why Kahlan wasn't sick. _What the hell have you been in contact with, Babe? _He shook his head because he knew there was still a lot he didn't know about his wife. He ground his teeth in frustration. _Please give me the time to find out about it all!_ He slammed a hand down on his steering wheel. _I will find them, and I will save my girls!_

He pulled up along the curb and jumped out to join theraiding group as they were about to hit the house Cam had found tracking the person who picked up the invitations. He quickly strapped on his vest and ran up behind a group of agents waiting behind an unmarked SWAT vehicle.

"Let me get in that upstairs door before you breach the front," Sai told the five people Hotch had joined.

Hotch looked at the house. There was a double decker porch on the far side of the house, and there was an opened door leading inside on the second story porch, but there weren't any stairs or anything leading up to it. Hotch shot Chuck a look. Chuck smiled as he nodded to Sai to let him know they were ready.

Sai ran across the street, jumped onto the middle of the steps going up to the first floor porch, jumped up onto the railing going up the steps, jumped up and grabbed the roof, swung himself up and landed on the railing of the second floor porch in a crouch. He then jumped down lightly and went in the door without a sound.

Chuck laughed at the looks of surprise on the faces around him and then ran across the street to hit the front door. Everyone quickly joined him. Sam busted the front door open, and Chuck, two SWAT officers, Hotch, Reid, and Mack quickly filed into the house with weapons at the ready.

Once they cleared the rooms in the front of the house, Hotch and Mack headed down a hallway. Gun shots rang out as soon as they were close to the stairs leading up to the second floor. Hotch pushed Mack into a room off the hall and from the protection of the doorway, he took aim at the man who had shot at them from the top of the stairs. He didn't get a shot off, though, because he saw the man crumple to the ground. Sai came up behind the fallen man with a grin on his face. Before Hotch could consider what Sai had done, he heard yelling from the backyard. By the time he got to the backdoor, Chuck and Sam had an older woman and a man in custody.

Once the whole house was cleared, it was obvious that the house wasn't used to produce the powder from the invitations, but they did have three new people to question. Chuck and Sam brought the man and woman into the house, and within minutes, they confessed to being the owners of the house and opening their home to anyone in the militia groups. They also confessed to picking up the invitations and stamping them with the Starbird, but they told the agents that three men in a van had picked them up and taken them. It was clear they did not know about the plans for the invitations. Hotch figured the couple was just someone being used by the Rebellion, and they didn't know what they had gotten themselves into.

Hotch decided to turn his attention to the man who had shot at him. Whatever Sai had done to him, he was awake by the time Hotch wanted to talk to him. Sam sat him down at the table and stood behind him Hotch approached. Chuck grinned at him. "You know, Sai knows the same shit Kay does."

Hotch considered him for a moment and then studied the man at the table. The man was already sweating and his hands were fidgeting with his pants. He turned back to Chuck. "I don't think that will be necessary." Chuck could tell Hotch was tired and mad, and he smiled. Hotch sat down and fixed their prisoner with his stare. The man swallowed hard and looked at the table unable to look at Hotch any longer. "What is your name?"

The man glanced at Hotch quickly and looked back at the table. "Jimmy West."

"And how long have you been part of the Rebellion?"

Jimmy's foot started to tap on the floor rapidly. Sam kicked the back of his chair and the man flinched as if he had been hit. "Only for a couple weeks."

"And what has your role been?" The man looked at him confusedly. "What have you been doing since you've joined them?" Hotch asked him slowly, he could tell from the way the man spoke that he wasn't very intelligent. _Another backwoods redneck!_

"Nothing really. I just picked up some guy in the city and took him to another place," he told Hotch after a quick glance at Sam. Reid and Mack walked up to observe the interrogation, too.

"Yeah? Would this guy you picked up have a name?" Hotch asked as he took out his phone.

"I guess," he started and Hotch tensed in his seat. "But I don't know it!" Jimmy quickly added.

"Where did you pick up from?"

"From some building in DC. It had a name on the sign. . . like a triple 'c' or something," he told him as he wiped sweat off his brow.

Hotch shot Chuck and Reid a look as he sat up straighter. "You mean CDC?"

Jimmy stuck his tongue out a little and scrunched up his face as he tried to remember. "That might have been it."

"Was the man carrying anything when you picked him up?" Reid asked quickly.

"Yeah, he had a big cooler. I axed him if it was his lunch box, you know just joshing him, and he just gave me a dirty look."

"Where did you take him?" Mack asked him.

"To some stuffy place in West Virginia," he told her as he licked his lips.

"Could you show me where?" She asked him with a smile. She could tell by the way the man was looking at her that he liked her.

Jimmy swallowed hard. I still have the dress in me navigator," he told her proudly.

"Is that your pickup out in the drive?" Mack asked him nicely.

He nodded enthusiastically. Hotch shot a look to Chuck, and Chuck headed out the door. Hotch turned his attention back to Jimmy. Jimmy was too busy smiling at Mack, so Hotch cleared his throat. Jimmy flinched and looked wide eyed at Hotch. "Who had you do all of this?"

Jimmy looked at Mack and she smiled, so he looked back to Hotch. "Same guy who got me to come ere, Dennis. He texas my phone with the structions."

"Dennis have a last name?" Hotch asked him.

"Rosen or Roslen, somin like that. He's from Luewray like me."

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose. Lack of sleep and stress was making dealing with the ignorant man a lot more stressful than it should have been. _Why God? Why do we finally find someone who is willing to talk and he turns out to be an idiot?_ He took one more look at Jimmy and got up. "I want his phone," he told Mack and then walked to see if Chuck had the address from the man's GPS.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

After Kahlan got herself calmed down, Rossi had left and she went in to sit with Joey. They had already started cooling her down with a cooling blanket. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she pulled up a chair and sat beside her. She took out her phone and texted Rossi. 'Make sure Hotch actually gets some sleep tonight.'

'I'll try.'

She texted Chuck, 'If Hotch doesn't need you, I could really use a friend.'

'As soon as we're done here!'

'K, is Hotch with you?'

'Yeah. We might have a lead to the bug.'

'Thank God!' She texted and prayed that it panned out.

'I'll see if I can get him to let everyone else to take care of it.'

'Thanks. He needs to rest. Rossi supposed to try and get him to get some sleep.'

'He needs it. He's starting to look like shit. LOL'

She chuckled. 'I bet. He's been up for almost 48.'

'I know, but I don't think he trusts us to do this without him. Shit, here he comes again.'

She smiled. She knew her husband would keep going to try and save their daughter, but she was worried about him running himself into the ground. She smiled deviously and texted him. 'The boys really need to see you tonight.' She thought if he wouldn't take care of himself, she'd make him take care of himself by making him take care of the boys. She waited for his response and almost thought he wasn't going to answer. After a few minutes, her phone finally vibrated.

'I know. I'll be heading home soon. How are you doing?'

'I'm alright. I don't think the boys should be without one of us after the visit they had with Joey.'

'I know. I'll make sure they're alright.'

'K.'

'I love you.'

'Love you more!' She typed with a smile. She rubbed her temples and took a deep breath. Her head was pounding again, and she hoped it was just the stress of the day and not the powder finally taking a toll on her. She reached under the blanket and took Joey's hand. It was cold to the touch and she had to fight back a shudder. She had seen and dealt with a few dead bodies in her lifetime and that was the first thing she thought of when she felt Joey's hand. She shook her head slowly. _I'm so sorry, Pumpkin!_

**XXXXX**

After they had gotten the address out of Jimmy's GPS, Reid gave the BAU an update. Garcia busied herself finding out all she could about address and Cam was busy talking to the CDC in DC. By the time Hotch and everyone was back to the BAU, Morgan and his group had planned a morning raid on the house in Jefferson County, West Virginia. The house was located in between Shepherdstown and Charles Town, and it would take about two hours to get there. Cam had been able to find out that the CDC was missing an employee, and what they told him about the man was scary.

Cam took a deep breath and headed to Hotch's office. He wanted to give Hotch the update before anyone else. Hotch was rubbing the back of his neck when Cam knocked on the open door. Hotch looked up quickly and he could tell by the look on Cam's face that he wasn't going to like the impending conversation. His heart tightened. "What?" He asked the computer genius as he quickly stood up.

"I think you need to sit back down," Cam told him as he entered the office.

Rossi quickly came in behind him. He had seen Cam going to Hotch's office and he didn't want Hotch to find out anything horrible by himself. Cam nodded at him and moved over to allow Rossi to be closer to Hotch.

Hotch took a deep breath and sat back down. After another deep breath, he nodded to let them know he was ready.

Cam licked his lips. "Dr. Bowman is one of DC's top microbiologists. He has been awol from work for the past six working days. He has no family and according to his supervisors, his neighbors haven't seen him either."

"That corresponds with the time West said he picked him up," Hotch told them. "What exactly does he do for the CDC?"

Rossi could hear the fear in Hotch's voice so he took another step closer to him and put his hand supportively on Hotch's shoulder.

Cam shot Rossi a look and swallowed hard. "He is the supervisor for the Infectious Disease Department. He has access to all of the CDC's stores."

Hotch felt his heart squeeze even harder. "And there is something missing from their inventories?" He asked, not wanting to know the answer, but knowing he was about to find out, and with the way Cam was acting he knew his worst fears were about to be realized.

Cam looked at the floor as he fidgeted with the change in his pocket. "They are missing one specimen from five different diseases."

Rossi's fingers dug into Hotch's shoulder with the news. "Did they tell you which ones?" Rossi asked quickly.

Cam finally looked back at the two men. "Yes, and I have already called Walter Reed."

Hotch took a deep breath and focused on the top of his desk. "Which ones?" He asked quietly without looking up.

Cam looked at Rossi. Rossi's heart sank. Rossi nodded and Cam licked is lips again. "The Spanish Flu, Malaria, Cholera, Plague, and Ebola."

"What?!" Hotch's head snapped up with the last two diseases. "No!" He stood up roughly. "They'd be dead by now wouldn't they?" He desperately asked as he looked back and forth between Cam and Rossi's faces.

"I don't know how long it would take. . ." Cam started.

Hotch went past him and stuck his head out of his office. "Reid!"

Reid startled in his seat from Hotch's tone, but he quickly got up and ran towards his boss' office. He immediately regretted his genius status. He knew they were about to ask him about something he knew he wouldn't want to have to tell them. When he got to the office, Hotch was pacing behind his desk and Reid stomach twisted. He had known that Cam was checking on things at the CDC, and he then knew that the news was going to be bad. "What?" He asked quickly.

Cam told him what the CDC had said, and Reid tried to hide his reaction to the news, but he was unsuccessful.

"If he used those, how long do they have?" Hotch asked him as he went to him and put his hands on Reid's shoulders.

Reid swallowed hard. "Dr. Hamill said that they have discerned that it is a mixture of components. He couldn't have used just one."

"How long?" Hotch asked him again.

"It depends on how he used them exactly. . ."

"But one of them has already died."

"She was old, Hotch."

"What's your best guess?"

"I couldn't even begin to determine. . ."

Hotch let go of him roughly and went to his desk. "I need to call Hamill," he told them as he picked up his phone.

Reid and Cam looked at Rossi. He nodded to them and they left the office and shut the door behind them. "Aaron." Hotch reached to dial the phone, and Rossi noticed Hotch's hands were shaking. "Aaron," he repeated.

Hotch balled his hand into a fist and willed it to stop shaking. When he relaxed his grip, he wasn't shaking quiet so badly. "I need to call Hamill," he repeated.

Rossi went to him and took the phone out of his hand. "Now that they know what it is, they will be able to treat it," he told him as he hung the phone up and took him by the shoulders. He turned him to make him look at him. "They will get this under control."

Hotch's eyes watered up. "But. . . What if. . ." He took a deep breath. "Is there a cure or a treatment for all of those? There isn't is there?"

Rossi pulled him into a hug. "I don't know, but they will make it," he tried to sound reassuring, but he heard his own voice crack. He let him go and looked him in the face. "Do you want me to call Hamill?"

Hotch nodded and moved over so Rossi could access his desk.

**XXXXX**

After finding the address and discussing everything with the raiding team, Chuck quietly ducked out to go see Kahlan. When he didn't find her in her room, he went next door and found her in Joey's room. She was asleep in the chair beside the bed, and his heart dropped. He didn't think there was any way that she'd be asleep with everything that was going on, and he thought that meant she was sick. He tapped on the glass lightly.

Kahlan opened her eyes slowly and gave the man she thought of as a brother a small smile. She got up and went to her room. He followed her and then studied her through the glass. "You don't look too hot," he told her with a grin.

"Yeah? Well, when your baby comes and you spend all day worrying about him, then I can give you shit about not looking a hundred percent," she told him as she approached the glass.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it."

"I'm fine," she assured him. His look told her he didn't believe her. She chose to ignore that, though. "So how's the new squad working out?"

His concerned look was replaced with a smile. "They're alright mostly. That Damian is an arrogant ass."

"You were arrogant at that age, too." She told him and he huffed. "Hey, they were able to get information that we weren't. He has to be good."

He shook his head slowly. "That's just because he questioned someone we didn't."

She studied his face and then squinted her eyes. "You all found someone new even before the raids?"

"Nope."

Her facial expression slowly went from shock to disgust as she thought of the only person that she hadn't questioned was the fifteen year old boy Chuck had wounded at Lesssylvania Park. "The boy?" Chuck nodded. "No. Aaron would not have let him. . ."

"Hotch didn't know."

"What techniques did he use on him?" She asked as she started to pace.

"I don't know. I was with Sam and Sai questioning some of the others. I had told them we had questioned everyone except the boy, but I didn't think I had to worry about him. . ."

"Of course not. No one in their right mind would have thought he'd question a juvenile!" She fixed him with a look. "I want to talk to him. I want him here now!"

Chuck took a step back from the glass. "Now?"

"Now!"

He quickly nodded and took out his phone.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

When Chuck had called Damian and told him that Kay wanted to see him, he could just imagine the grin on Damian's face. He laughed mentally. _Idiot doesn't realize just how much he's pissed her off. Oh well, he'll find out soon enough. At least he's protected by the glass. _He looked at Kahlan. "He's on his way. You want me to stay?"

"I don't care."

"I think I should," Chuck told her seriously.

She studied him. "Why?"

"Cause I think, he thinks this is about something else."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he told her quickly.

"Ut-uh. Out with it."

"I think he has a crush on you."

"What?!"

He shrugged.

"He told you that?"

"Not exactly."

"Please. I'm an old woman. . ."

"Yeah right! You're one of the prettiest women I know. . ."

"And I'm married and a mother. . ."

"And still sexy as hell, and I don't think he cares that you're married. . ."

"Just stop. There is no. . ."

"Just wait. You'll see it as soon as he gets here," Chuck assured her.

**XXXXX**

Speaking with Dr. Hamill hadn't provided any relief. While she was seeing symptoms from each of the diseases, she confirmed her earlier thought of that the bug must have been a mixture of each of them. While the information was helpful, she needed the specific strands of the diseases to truly be able to combat them. Rossi informed her of the morning raid and she wished them luck. Once he was done talking with her, he explained what was said to Hotch.

"We need to go now. The faster we have this Doctor in custody, the faster Hamill will be able to save them," Hotch told him as he got up off his couch and started for the bullpen.

"That's fine. We can have Morgan and his team head out now. . ."

"I need to go. . ."

"No you don't. You need to get some sleep. You are the only one who hasn't been able to get a break in. . ."

"I'll sleep when my girls are safe. . ."

"I thought you were going home to check on the boys."

Hotch hung his head and rubbed his temples. He had almost forgotten about needing to check on the boys. "Donna's with them. She would have called. . ."

"They need to see you Aaron. They need to see their father," Rossi told him seriously. He knew Hotch wanted to go and handle things to assure they were doing everything they could, but Rossi knew Morgan was beyond capable.

"You could go check on them. They'd understand. . ."

"Yeah they would, but they need their father," Rossi repeated. He was afraid of Hotch pushing himself to the breaking point, and if he had to use his family against him to get him to rest for a few hours, then so be it.

Hotch's shoulders slumped. "Alright. Let me go talk to Morgan. . ."

"Then I'll drive you home," Rossi told him as he followed him out of the office. Hotch nodded.

**XXXXX**

Within twenty minutes, Damian walked into the room connected to Kahlan's with a grin on his face. Chuck leaned up against the side wall and almost chuckled. Damian ignored him and went straight up to the glass and looked Kahlan in the eyes. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, I did," she told him nicely. Chuck rolled his eyes.

"What can I do for you?" Damian asked her with another smile.

She took a deep breath. "I was impressed when I found out you were able to get information from people we had already questioned. . ."

"I'm sure it was just the luck of the drawl. Maybe sitting in a cell for a little while loosened some tongues," he told her nicely as he flexed his arms and chest muscles subtly and crossed his arms.

She shot Chuck a look because she could tell by the way Damian was looking at her that Chuck's feelings were correct. Any other time she was sure a young man like Damian would brag about being able to do something she and Chuck hadn't, but he was being nice and actually admitting to not being better. It pissed her off even more as she realized he was trying to flirt with her. _We don't have time for this shit! _ Her smile turned into a hard look. "Well, I was impressed until I found out who you questioned," she told him coldly.

"Huh?" Suddenly Damian wasn't so sure of himself.

"Just what and the hell are they teaching you all now?" She asked as she fixed him with a malicious look.

"What? He had information. . ."

"Yeah, and his two addresses led to nothing but an abandoned house and an empty lot in a mobile home park!"

"So if his information would have panned out, it would have been alright?" He asked trying to defend himself.

"No! It is never alright to question a juvenile! My God, when you do shit like that you're no better than the assholes who use kids in the first place!"

Damian swallowed hard and then stood up straighter. He finally looked at her again and smiled slyly. "If Hotchner wasn't such a suit, we would probably already have. . ."

"What!? You don't like the way he's running things?" Kahlan asked him as she felt her anger start to rise.

"It's just that, maybe if someone like us was in charge, we might be. . ."

"Like us? You mean me? Cause you're not old enough to be in charge of anything. . ."

"I'm the head of my team. . ."

"And if you have half a brain you would realize that every other person around this case has a hell of a lot more experience than you. You would also understand that you should be kissing their asses and sucking up as much as possible because these are the people who will report back to Clapper on your performance. You would also see that these are the contacts you should be making for when you need them later."

"So he's a good leader, he still isn't. . ."

She shook her head and shot a look to Chuck; he was grinning because he knew he was right. "I'd shut up if I were you," Chuck mumbled, but stopped when Kahlan fixed him with a look.

Kahlan took a deep breath. She knew Damian wasn't really listening because he had was more interested in her than what she was saying. She had to stop it now, and she knew she would have to crush him because sometimes that was the only way to treat a man. "Aaron is an amazing man. . ."

"But you would be more. . ."

"Jesus Christ, I'm old enough to be your mother!"

"I don't care about that. Age is just a number."

Chuck got her attention by motioning that he would cuff Damian in the back of the head if she wanted him to. She shook her head slightly and returned her focus to Damian. "Are you really that thick? Do you really think that with everything that is happening, that right now is the best time to try and hit on me?"

"I've learned to take advantage of any situation. When I see something I like, I go for . ."

"Oh. My. God!" She yelled and raked her hand through her hair roughly.

"You're lucky she's behind that glass," Chuck told him under his breath. Damian shot him a surprised look.

"Why would I want some boy like you when I already have a man? You're too cocky, too self-centered, too pretty."

"Other women don't seem to mind," he told her confidently.

"And I can just imagine what type of woman you're referring to. You're not even a fourth of the man Aaron is. Even if I was your age, I still wouldn't be interested in you."

That got him. His smile finally faltered. "Why? What would I have to do. . ."

"Nothing! There is nothing you could do. Maybe once you actually grow up and become a real man. . ."

"I am a man," he told her defiantly.

She huffed. "Let me give you some advice. If you ever want a real woman, someone with some substance, then you need to realize that women want a man who is caring, responsible, brilliant, and sensitive; a man like Aaron! Not some pretty boy who thinks too much of himself!"

His shoulders slumped and he looked at the floor. "I can be those things."

She sighed. "And when you do, you will find someone amazing."

He huffed and looked at his watch. "I better get going. If there isn't anything else you need."

"No. Just watch yourself; I will be keeping a closer eye on you and your team, and I will be reporting to Clapper."

"And he highly values her opinion," Chuck finally chimed in.

Damian looked at him and then took one more look at Kahlan. "I will find the Doctor, and I will save you."

She shook her head. "That's another problem that makes you a turn off; you should have said 'we'. Never put yourself before your team."

He considered her words, nodded, and then walked to the door.

As soon as he was about to open it, it opened from the other side and there stood Hotch and Rossi. Hotch almost growled as his alpha's hackles stood up as soon as he saw who was on the other side of the door. _What the hell is he doing here? God damn it!_ He immediately looked from Damian to Kahlan and back again. Damian smiled and went past him. Hotch had to fight the urge to punch the smile off the younger man's face. He quickly went into the room and then looked at Chuck and then to Kahlan. "What was that about?"

Kahlan smiled. "Nothing. What are you doing here so late? I thought you were going home to the boys?"

_Why are you smiling like that? _Hotch looked back to Chuck, but his face didn't reveal anything either. "I'm on my way. I wanted to tell you goodnight."

"I'm taking him home," Rossi told her with a smile. "I'll see you later, Kiddo," Rossi told her and then grabbed Chuck by the shoulder and pulled him out of the room to let the couple be alone.

"See ya tomorrow, Kay," Chuck told her quickly before Rossi pulled him through the door.

She shot him a look and then turned to her husband. "What?"

"Why was he here?" He asked her again.

"I just wanted to check on him and his team to see how they were working out," she told him innocently. _If you knew how he felt about me you'd kill him, Hun._

Hotch eyed her warily. He knew he wasn't get anything more out of her, and it worried him to think she was lying. He wasn't absolutely sure she was, but something in his gut told him she was. He took a deep breath. "Has anyone told you what we found out?"

Her shoulders slumped. "God, what now?"

"The lead we got led us to the CDC, and they are missing an employee."

"The CDC?" She asked as the blood drained from her face. She sighed heavily. "Tell me."

"Dr. Bowman has disappeared and so have specimens of five different diseases."

"That makes sense with what Hamill has found so far," she started as she studied him. He was being Agent Hotchner and not a husband or father, so she knew it must have been bad. "Which ones?" She asked quietly.

He took a deep breath and licked his lips. "Bad ones," was all he said. He wasn't sure he could bring himself to tell her exactly which ones.

She put her hand on the glass and he mimicked her. "Aaron, knowing which ones helps to make their job easier." She gave him a small smile. "Just tell me."

He took a deep breath, reverted back to his work face, watched her closely for any reaction, and told her: "The Spanish Flu," her eyes squinted a little. "Malaria," her brows furrowed. "Cholera," she winced. "Plague," she smirked. "And Ebola," she glanced towards Joey's room.

"Cholera? Were they sure?" She asked quickly.

_Really? That's the one your most scared of?_ "Yes, why?"

"Cause that can kill within a day. At least all the others take time." She couldn't bring herself to tell him that she had almost dies of Cholera in ninety-five.

"Oh," Hotch said quietly. "I didn't realize." He rubbed a hand down his face. "I was worried about the last two. Those are pretty scary."

She gave him another small smile. "I'm not scared for me, I'm scared for Joey. I just hope what she got from me will be enough to. . ." she couldn't finish as she looked at the floor.

Hotch saw her free hand ball into a fist, and he knew she was angry for not being able to do anything more to protect their daughter. "Babe," he started. She took a shuddering breath but didn't look at him. "Kahlan," he said a little more forcibly. She took a deep breath and slowly raised her head to look him in the eyes. "Morgan is about to go after him now. She will make it."

She nodded weakly. "I know. You need to go home and get some sleep. You need to be rested for when they bring him back."

"I know."

"If he doesn't cooperate, bring him here. I would love to question him," she told him with an evil grin.

"I bet," he told her with a smile.

"Tell the boys I love them."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you more."

He grinned and locked eyes with her. "I'm really beginning to hate glass."

She chuckled. "You're not the only one."

"I'd give anything to be able to kiss you right now," he told her seriously.

"That would make my night so much better," she told him with a grin and then sighed deeply. "Get out of here. Give my boys a hug."

He nodded and left the room.

A tear escaped the corner of her eye as she watched him leave. _And now I know why I have a headache. God Damn it!_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Rossi pulled up to a dark house. He pulled into the driveway and sat there. Hotch was so lost in thought that he didn't even realize he was home. "You want me to stay?" Rossi asked as he nudged Hotch's leg.

Hotch snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the house. "You can if you want, but Donna's in the guestroom." He swallowed hard. "You could sleep in Joey's room," he suggested as he got out.

Rossi shut off the car and got out to follow his chosen son. "I can take the couch," he told him with a small smile as he wrapped his arm around Hotch's shoulder and walked to the door with him.

Hotch nodded and unlocked the door. Sampson met him at the door with a whine. "Hey, Buddy," Hotch told him as he scratched him behind the ears. Sampson whined again as he looked out the door. "No, Mom and Joey aren't back yet, Boy." He whined one more time and then sulked out of the entry way.

Rossi shook his head as he watched the Doberman. "Even the dogs miss them."

Hotch chuckled. "Yeah, he got out into the front yard when I picked up the boys earlier, and I didn't think we were ever going to get him back in. I think he would have sat out there until Kahlan came home," he told him as he locked the door and went further into the house. "I don't know why he isn't with Wyatt, though," Hotch told him as he headed to the basement steps.

He went straight to Wyatt's room and opened the door quietly. His brows furrowed as he found an empty room. He went to Jack's room next and also found it empty. He sighed heavily and went upstairs. "I think I know where they are," he told Rossi sadly and headed up stairs to Joey's room. He looked through the opened door and his heart ached for his young men. Jack and Goliath were asleep on Joey's bed, and Wyatt was curled up on the floor in front of the bed with Joey's favorite teddy bear clutched in his arms. Hotch's eyes started to water as looked at his boys. Wyatt was almost as big as his mother and yet he looked so small and fragile laying there holding the stuffed animal. Jack suddenly moaned and turned on his side, and Hotch had to wonder if he was having a bad dream. Goliath whined and curled up next to him tighter and Jack settled back down. _God, please let her make it, if not for my sake, for the boys. They have already lost too much in their young lives; don't make them lose their sister, too._ Sampson pushed past him and laid down next to Wyatt. He ran a hand down his face as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "She'll make it," Rossi whispered. "God wouldn't destroy such a perfect family."

Hotch nodded weakly and wiped his eyes. "I really hope so," he told him and then turned to go back down stairs. He went to the kitchen and smiled when he saw a full pot of coffee. Donna always took good care of them and he thanked God that Kahlan had such a wonderful sister. "You want a cup?" He asked Rossi.

"Sure. Then you at least need to try and lay down and relax, even if you can't go to sleep."

Hotch poured two cup and then took them to the family room. Rossi joined him on the couch. Hotch took a deep breath as he looked at the dark liquid in his cup. "I think she's getting sick," he confessed quietly.

"Why do you think that?" Rossi asked after he took a drink. After everything that had happened before, he was worried about Hotch getting sick, too.

"Just a feeling," Hotch told him softly.

"Feeling, as in a hunch, or feeling, as in you can feel it?"

Hotch put his cup down on the coffee table and rubbed his temples. "Both."

_Damn it! If she's getting sick, too, then they are running out of time! _He reached over and patted Hotch's leg. "She's too stubborn to let this beat her, Aaron." He smiled and put his arm around Hotch's shoulder. "Besides, she wants to get her hands on the bastard who's in charge of it all."

That made Hotch smile. "Yeah, I almost feel sorry for him." He sat up a little straighter. "If I don't get ahold of him first that is."

Rossi laughed. "I know I wouldn't want to be him with you two after him."

Hotch chuckled and put his cup down. "I'm going to try and get a couple hours. I have my phone if anyone needs me."

Rossi nodded and relaxed back on the couch. "I'll be here."

Hotch took his cup to the kitchen and made his way up to his bedroom. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked at his bed. It was the first time since Indiana that he was going to try and sleep alone. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. _Please God, please let her come home to me._ He went to the bathroom, got on a pair of sweats, and flopped down in the middle of the bed. After lying on his back for several minutes, he switched over onto his side. After several more minutes, he flipped over onto his other side. _Come on, I know you're tired. Just go to sleep!_ He sighed again and grabbed Kahlan's pillow and hugged it to his chest. _I love you, Babe. _After a few moments, he finally drifted off to sleep.

**XXXXX**

Kahlan awoke to someone gently shaking her shoulder. "Mrs. Hotchner," Jenny called to her softly.

"Yes?" Kahlan asked quickly as she sat up.

"Dr. Hamill needs you in Joey's room," Jenny told her with a small smile.

Kahlan's heart sank. _No!_ She jumped up and quickly went in to see the Doctor listening to Joey's heart and lungs. "What?" Kahlan asked desperately.

Hamill finished what she was doing and then turned to her slowly. The look on her face, made Kahlan's stomach twist. "She's having trouble breathing. I think we need to put her on a ventilator."

"Oh my God," Kahlan breathed as she went up and grabbed Joey's cold hand. "But she was doing alright. . ."

"The antibodies she got from you just aren't enough anymore."

"Then give her more," Kahlan said without hesitation.

"What?" Hamill asked not understanding.

"Give her some more of my blood. She has my type. . ."

"That could work," Jenny injected with a smile to Kahlan. "After losing Agent Jones last night, I don't think any of them have that much time left."

Kahlan winced. "We've lost another one?"

"Agent Jones was about to retire and not in the best of shape," Hamill told her.

"The boy?" Kahlan asked as she looked to the hallway that led to the other rooms.

"Better than the other two, but still worse than your daughter," Hamill confessed.

Kahlan bit her lip as she thought. She glanced at her daughter, took a deep breath, put Joey's hand down, and then fixed Hamill with a look. "I'm type 'O', that's the universal donor, right?"

"Yes," Hamill said warily.

"Give it to them all," Kahlan said seriously.

"What? You can't. . ."

"I can. I have, what, like eight pints? Give them each one. Maybe the antibodies in my blood will buy them the time. . ."

"You can't just give up four pints of your blood. . ."

"I'm not asking you to take it without giving me some in return," Kahlan started as Hamill shook her head. "Take it out of one arm and put new in the other, like a blood transfusion," Kahlan quickly finished and looked at Jenny. "That would work, right?"

Jenny smiled, but didn't answer as she looked at Hamill. Hamill sighed heavily. The rest of Hamill's team came into the room; apparently they had been listening in. Liz gave Kahlan a smile.

"Mrs. Hotchner, I really have to advise against anything that would. . ." Dr. Hamill started as she shook her head.

"But will it work?" Kahlan asked her incredulously.

"In theory, yes, of course," Hamill continued.

"It might actually help a lot," Donald told her.

"Can it hurt them?" Kahlan asked them.

"No, either it would help or it wouldn't work," Liz told her with a smile.

"Then let's do it," Kahlan pleaded.

"Mrs. Hotchner, as your doctor on this, I have to advise you against anything that may be detrimental to your own health. Your antibodies are what are keeping you from getting sick. If you give so many of them up, you will probably get sick, rapidly."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. . ." Kahlan started.

"You can't know that. I understand you wanting to try it with your own daughter, but to do it for them all. . ."

"It might buy them the time Aaron needs to find the person responsible!" Kahlan insisted. Hamill studied her face. "I will sign anything you want me to," Kahlan added quickly.

Hamill looked to her team.

"If you won't do it, I will get a doctor in here who will," Kahlan told her sternly.

Hamill sighed. "Don't you think you ought to discuss this with your husband?"

"I have," Kahlan lied.

"And he doesn't have a problem with what you propose? Does he realize the risks?"

"If the situation were reversed, he would do it," she told her honestly because she truly thought he would.

"Alright, Mrs. Hotchner," Hamill finally conceded.

"Alright?"

"Yes." Hamill turned to Liz. "Get everything ready."

Liz gave Kahlan another smile and left.

Kahlan nodded and went to Joey. She grabbed her hand again. "Hold on, Pumpkin, Mommy's gonna try and help," Kahlan told her softly and bent down and gave her cheek a soft kiss.

**XXXXX**

Hotch woke up drenched in sweat. _Just a dream. Just a dream,_ he kept repeating as he tried get his breathing under control. _She's not that sick, she'll be fine!_ He had dreamt that Kahlan was dying, and it scared the shit out of him. _No! Not after everything we've been through. You can't leave me, Kahlan. _He went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face. He took a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. _You look like shit, Hotchner. Get it together! The boys need you to be strong!_ He looked at his watch: 5:14. _Oh well, a couple hours is better than none._ He undressed and got in the shower. The tried to let the hot water relax his tense muscles as he prayed Morgan and his team had found the doctor responsible for making the powder. He didn't like that he hadn't heard anything yet, but he thought that Rossi might have made Morgan contact him instead. He smiled as he thought of Rossi taking care of him like a real father would. _He's more of a father than mine ever was!_

After getting dressed, he stopped and checked on the boys; they were still asleep, so he headed down to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Donna gave him a small smile as she handed him a cup. "I'll go wake up Dave," she told him and walked into the family room.

Rossi joined Hotch at the table after getting dressed. Hotch looked at him. "You hear anything yet?"

Rossi took a deep breath. "They just missed him, but I told him to leave the NSA team there. He said he'd have half of them stake out the house and the other half is out trying to find him." Hotch looked at his cup. He knew those infected were running out of time, and he was worried about Joey having the time for a search. He nodded weakly. Rossi reached over and patted him on the arm. "They will find him. Besides, Morgan said they found a lot of paperwork and such. Maybe Hamill can use some of that."

Hotch nodded again, and Donna joined them at the table. "The boys start football practice today," she told them.

"What? Already? I didn't realize. . ." Hotch started.

"Don't worry about it. I've talked with Jessica and we have them covered," she assured him. "Besides, it will get their minds off the girls."

"I'm so sorry. . ." Hotch started again.

"Stop. You have enough to worry about. Let us help you," she insisted.

"But don't they have practice in the morning and again in the afternoon?"

"Yes, but we have it covered. Mom is going to help, too. Don't worry. You all will have this thing solved and you will be dragging them and their stinking uniforms back and forth before you know it," she told him with a smile.

"Thank y. . ."

"Don't. Don't you dare thank me. I would do anything for them boys. Besides, Ash and Brooke are out of school, it's kind of nice to be able to get back into the school thing. It helps me forget my kids don't need me as much as they used to," she told him as she got up and gave Hotch a kiss on the cheek. "I better get them woke up, and then I'll fix you all breakfast."

"You don't need to do that. . ."

"Really, Aaron? Did you even eat dinner last night?" Hotch squinted his eyes. "Did you even eat lunch?" Hotch bit his lip as he tried to remember. "I swear. Kahlan is going to kick my ass for not keeping a better watch on you." She turned her attention to Rossi. "He is not allowed to leave until he eats," she told him seriously.

Rossi chuckled. "Yes, Ma'am." She smiled and then went up to wake up the boys.

XXX

Hotch and Rossi were back to the BAU when Morgan and JJ got back. Morgan shook his head in disgust as he looked at Hotch, and Hotch knew Morgan was just as disappointed as he was. "I'm so sorry, Hotch, man. We literally just missed him. . ."

"I know you all did your best," Hotch told him seriously.

"I have a feeling the NSA team will not stop until they have their hands on them," JJ told him with a smile.

"I'm sure they will," Rossi agreed. They had never actually come out and told the team who the NSA group actually was, but he knew they all had figured it out.

"I left orders to call as soon as they had anything," Morgan told them as he headed to the break room. Rossi and JJ followed him and Hotch went to his office.

"Let's hope you get a call soon," Rossi told him as he poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Morgan.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Hotch looked up from his desk as Mack basically ran into his office. "What?" Hotch asked her quickly when he saw how excited she was.

"Cam and Pen have a lead on the Rebellion," she told him with a big smile.

"Finally!" Hotch exclaimed as he followed her out of his office and to the conference room.

Garcia started to quickly bounce up and down as soon as she saw Hotch. "I think we found the sun to brighten up your cloudy day," she told him quickly.

Cam put his hand on her shoulder. "She means that we have found where a group of them might be later. There is a scheduled meeting for six tonight at Uncle Bucks Bar in Luray," Cam explained to everyone.

"Luray? Again?" Reid asked with a smirk. So far everything in and around in Luray had been a dead end.

"How did you find this out?" Hotch asked them.

Garcia went to her laptop. "Well, Puddin joined up on one of the websites as a disgruntled American as soon as we started all of this, and he has been invited to the meeting," she explained as she brought up the email to show everyone.

"That's genius," Mack told her.

"That was Puddin's idea. I couldn't believe it when he got it yesterday. I was able to trace the email back to a server used by the same websites that the Rebellion has been using," Garcia told them with a smile.

"We were able to trace all of the other people invited as well, and there are about fifty. The invitation promises a meet and greet with the leader," Cam told them.

"Think you can go in there under cover?" Hotch asked him quickly as he looked him up and down. Cam definitely didn't look, act, or dress the part of a redneck.

"Don't trust me to pull it off?" Cam asked him with a smile as if he could read Hotch's thoughts.

"It's not that. . ." Hotch started.

Cam chuckled. "I was actually thinking Chuck would be better suited for it. Maybe he could take Mack with him."

They all looked at Mack. "What? I grew up in Tennessee. I know all about militia groups and hicks," she assured them.

"Where is Chuck?" Morgan asked as he realized he hadn't seen him.

"Right behind you," Chuck said into his ear and Morgan jumped about a foot away from him.

"Jesus Christ! You idiot!" Morgan yelled at him. "One of these times you are going to get yourself shot doing that shit!"

"You're not that fast," Chuck told him with a sly smile. "Cam's already told me about the meeting. I think it's a good idea. Besides, I would love to take this one out on a date," he joked as he grabbed Mack's hand and kissed it.

Hotch cuffed him in the back of the head. "You're already taken," Hotch told him sternly, but not seriously.

Chuck laughed and let Mack go. "I make a better redneck than Cam. Cam's too stuffy."

"I am not stuffy. I just have a brain, unlike you," Cam told him seriously.

"Enough, children," Rossi told them and then turned to Hotch. "We better figure out how we're going to set up surveillance because I don't think we should let the bar know we're there."

"No. We have no idea who all is involved," Hotch agreed.

"I think I can help with that, too," Cam told them with a smile.

"Yeah, we can get our hands on a lot cooler shit than you all can," Chuck agreed.

"Do it," Hotch told them and then turned to Garcia. "Can you get us a plan for the bar?"

"But of course, my Liege," she told him with a bow.

Hotch shook his head. "And a map of the town and surrounding areas," he added to Reid. He turned to everyone else. "I think we can handle this. Too many people in a town that small will be too noticeable."

"I agree," Rossi told him. He looked at JJ and Morgan. "Go with Cam and Chuck and help them get whatever they plan on getting."

"Alright," JJ told him as she stood up and looked at Cam.

"We need to be able to leave out by three," Hotch told everyone. He could sense a general excitement in them all, and he smiled mentally. _Maybe the OS will find the doctor and we'll find the bastard in charge and this whole thing will end well._ "We better use our own vehicles; I think the SUV's will be a little too noticeable."

Everyone nodded and started to leave the room.

Before he headed out, Chuck called Hotch over to him. "Cam can handle getting everything together. Is it ok if I just meet back up with you all later?"

Hotch eyed him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Cause Vinnie called me. She's not feeling good, and I wanted to check on her," he lied.

Hotch relaxed. "No problem. Go. Let me know if you need anything."

Chuck nodded and headed out. He hated lying to Hotch and using his pregnant girlfriend to appeal to the father and gentleman in Hotch, but he had a feeling he needed to check on Kay, and he didn't want Hotch to know because he didn't want him to worry.

**XXXXX**

Chuck walked into the room connected to Kahlan's, and he got even more worried. Kahlan was sitting on the bed, her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. "Excuse me? Could you direct me to the nearest bar?" Chuck asked her jokingly.

Kahlan raised her head and gave him a small smile. She got up and went to the glass. "Yeah, but only if you take me with you."

He studied her closely, and he knew his feeling was correct. "What have you done?"

"What?" She asked him innocently.

"Really, Kay? I've known you for almost twenty years. What have you done?"

She sighed heavily. "I had to help. Joey was getting worse. . ." she started.

"You're sick aren't you?" he asked her desperately. Her look told him she was. "God damn it, Kay! What did you do?"

"I had to. . ."

"Your own blood was protecting you. You weren't getting sick. You. . ."

"I gave them some. They needed what I. . ."

"No, damn it!" He ran a hand through his short hair in frustration as he realized what she had done. "Sure, you had to help Joey; she's your daughter, but you didn't have to help them!"

"We've already lost another. . ."

"I don't care! You not supposed to sacrifice yourself for them!"

"One of them is a twelve year old boy!"

"Fine! Help the boy! Those agents knew the risks when they became agents! You should not have done it!"

"How could I not? I can't be out there; I had to do what I could. . ."

"You have always been willing to sacrifice yourself for others. . ."

"Then you shouldn't be surprised. . ."

"No, Kay! You have a family now! You have three kids who depend on you! Why would you save Joey just so she could grow up without a mother? Sure, Hotch can raise the boys, but he can't raise a girl. You didn't ask him about it did you?" She looked at the floor, and he knew the answer. "That's not fair, Kay! He. . . he wouldn't have let you do it!"

"He would have done the same thing if the situations were reversed," she told him confidently.

"I know. You're both a couple saints! Would you let him if he asked?"

"No, but. . ."

"No buts! Now you're going to get sick, and God knows when or if we'll find those bastards. . ."

"I'm not getting sick," she started.

"Please. You can't hide shit from me. You're flippin gray for Christ's sake!"

Kahlan looked down at her arms and then back up at Chuck. "I am not!"

"Yes you are! And if you're not sick, why is your nose bleeding?"

Kahlan reached up and rubbed the end of her nose with her thumb knuckle. She looked at it and indeed, it was covered with blood. She shook her head and went and got a paper towel out of the bathroom. She came back out and gave Chuck a small smile. "I'll be fine," she tried to assure him.

"You do know that bleeding is a sign of Ebola?" Chuck asked as his eyes watered. "Damn it, Kay! You are not invincible no matter how much you think you are!"

"Calm down Chuck. You all will find the asshole who made this, and we will all be fine!"

"Great! Just what I needed. Like I wasn't worried enough about Joey! Now I have to worry about you making it, too!"

"You can't tell Aaron," she told him as she dabbed at her nose.

"He has a right to know!"

"He needs to focus on the task at hand. If you tell him, he will get too worried to concentrate. . ."

"We can do it without him. He can come and. . ."

"And, what? It's not like he can hold my hand. He doesn't need to sit here with me. I am not going to get any sicker," she told him defiantly. She put her hand on the glass. "Please don't tell him."

"But if you. . . You might. . ." He couldn't bring himself to say it. He tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

"I won't," she told him with a smile.

He locked eyes with her and took in a deep breath. "You promise me?"

She winced. She couldn't promise something she wasn't sure of. "I'll try," is all she offered.

His shoulders slumped. He then knew she was a lot sicker than she was letting on. "I should come in there and kick your ass," he told her with a smile.

She chuckled. "You might actually be able to do it right now," she told him honestly.

One tear escaped the corner of his eye. "Please, Kay. I can't. . . I won't be able to. . ."

"You'll be fine," she told him weakly as her own eyes watered. "You have a child coming, you're going to marry Vinnie, and you all will be a great little family."

"But you have to be there to see it all!" He insisted.

"I plan on it," she told him as she wiped a few tears away. "You know I'm too stubborn to let anything get me."

He sniffled and wiped his face. "Yeah. You're too much of a bitch," he joked.

"That's right!" She agreed with a grin.

**XXXXX**

Hotch called Jack once he knew they would be home from morning practice. "Hey, Buddy. I forgot to ask you this morning, but did you or Wyatt get up in the tree?"

"Yeah, Jack did," Wyatt told him and Hotch realized that Jack had put the phone on speaker.

"Joey doesn't really have a bat locked in a box up there, does she?" Hotch asked them tentatively. He cringed a little as he thought of the poor thing being dead because Joey wasn't there to take care of it.

"It's not that type of box, Dad. It can't close or anything," Wyatt started to explain with a chuckle.

"Oh, so is there really a bat up there?"

Jack laughed. "There were four in it, but Fuzzy is still there."

"How can you tell which one is Fuzzy?"

"Cause it climbed into my hand and it's fat!"

"I think Joey has been feeding it for a while," Wyatt suggested.

Hotch actually chuckled. _Only my daughter would befriend a wild bat._ "As long as it isn't trapped," he told them.

"I fed it this morning, too. Well, actually they all came out to eat the grapes. Two of the others actually let me pet them," Wyatt told him proudly.

Hotch shook his head. He smiled as he imagined Kahlan as a child and befriending a lot of different animals. "Just be careful with them please. They can carry disease," he started to lecture.

"Chill, Dad," Wyatt told him.

"Yeah, Dad, chill. We got this," Jack agreed.

"Fine. Thanks, I love you, Guys," Hotch told them.

"We love you, too. Be careful today. We'll see you tonight, maybe," Jack told him.

"Yep. Work hard at practice."

"Of course! We're Hotchners!" Wyatt told him enthusiastically.

"That's right. Make sure they all know it, too!" Hotch told them with a smile.

He heard them laughing and they ended the call. He sighed deeply. _Now I just need to get my girls home, and everything will be right again!_

XXX

Hotch eyed Chuck suspiciously when he came back. "Is everything alright?" He asked him.

"Yeah," Chuck said a little too quickly.

"Are you sure? You seem a little anxious."

"Sorry," Chuck told him without looking at him.

"Chuck?" Hotch asked sternly.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong? Is Vinnie alright? If you need to stay with her. . ."

"Nah, she's fine. Let's do this and get it over with. We need to find these sons of bitches."

Hotch studied the younger man. "Yeah. Let's do this," he told him as he put his hand on his shoulder as they walked to the parking garage. Chuck nodded and pulled away from him. _What aren't you telling me?_ Hotch's stomach tightened. He was worried that Chuck was too preoccupied to be able to do the job needed, but he didn't voice his concerns. _We really don't need anything to go wrong with Vinnie now, too!_


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Hotch approached the vehicles, and as he got close to them, he could hear the girls talking about the men of the OS, so he stopped on the other side of the Bureau SUV to listen to them.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think that Sam is really hot," Mack told them.

JJ huffed. "You can keep the blonds; I like the tall, dark, and handsome type," she told her.

"Damian is yummy," Garcia agreed.

Mack fixed them both with a look. "What?" JJ asked her. "We might be attached, but we can still look."

"Yeah, Puddin is dreamy, but Damian is. . . I don't know," Garcia told them as she shook her head.

"He's got that lost puppy dog look that makes you want to hug him and take him home," JJ told her with a grin.

"He does sort of look like a younger version of Hotch," Mack agreed.

To know that the women on his team found Damian attractive made Hotch's alpha growl, and to find out that they thought he was a younger version of him made the acid in his stomach churn.

"He was asking Morgan about Kahlan. He better hope Hotch doesn't find out," JJ explained.

Hotch's hands balled into fists. _I kill him!_

"Wow, how awesome would that be, to find out some young guy thinks you're hot? I'd be beyond flattered if I was Double-O," Garcia admitted.

_What?! _Hotch wanted to yell. He shook his head. He did not like what he was hearing.

"Did Morgan say anything to him?" Mack asked quickly.

"To who, Hotch or Damian?" JJ asked.

"To Damian. I would think Hotch would be pissed. . ." Mack started but stopped when they heard someone call Hotch's name.

Hotch turned to find Reid coming up to him. "I think everyone is here now," Reid told him as he passed him to join the group on the other side of the SUV.

Hotch nodded his understanding and proceeded to go around the SUV. He fixed the girls with a look and then went over to Rossi. Cameron started passing out satellite com links, and Chuck called Mack over to equip her with a stealth camera and com link. Hotch noticed that Chuck wouldn't look him in the eyes, and his chest tightened. He had the feeling that Chuck was hiding something, and his gut told him it had nothing to do with Vinnie. As he thought about it, it scared him because he could think of only one person who could get Chuck to hide anything from him. _What the hell are you all hiding?_ After hearing the girls talk about Damian and finding Chuck with Damian at Kahlan's room, Hotch was worried that it might have something to do with the young squad leader.

"Keep my pretties safe," Garcia told Cameron as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't worry, Baby Girl, your hubby has us outfitted with the best," Morgan told her with his famous smile as he pulled her into a hug.

"We need to get going," Chuck told them as he opened the door to his Jeep.

"You in a hurry to show your redneck side?" Mack joked.

"No, just in a hurry," Chuck told her as he got in.

Cameron shot Hotch a worried look, and Hotch got even more worried to think that Cameron wasn't in on whatever was bothering Chuck. "Load up," Hotch told them. They all got in their appointed vehicles and Garcia waved them off as they pulled out of the parking garage.

Hotch and Rossi led the way to Luray in Hotch's car, Chuck and Mack were in Chuck's Jeep, Morgan and JJ were in Morgan's SUV, and Cam and Reid were bringing up the rear in a van. They all had satellite com links that Cam provided, but Chuck and Mack's were secretly hidden away in their clothes. "Remember, when we get to town to split up and go to your appointed spots," Hotch told them all.

"Roger that," Chuck told him as he hit the gas and passed Hotch on the highway.

"Better cool it, Hotdog," Cam joked. "You wouldn't want that piece of shit to break down and you miss the meeting."

"Yeah right, Spike keeps this thing running like a tank," Chuck told him as he got even further away from the rest of the convoy.

"Yeah, but you don't need to get pulled over either," Rossi told him.

"I got the fuzz buster on. You all need to hurry up," Chuck told him.

Hotch shook his head.

"You do know those are illegal in Virginia, right?" JJ asked Chuck.

"Yeah, well, they can't detect this one, and they wouldn't be able to find it if they tried. Now can we please get the hell up the road?" Chuck asked them all as he continued to get further away from them.

Rossi noticed Hotch's hands tighten on the steering wheel as he pressed the gas to try and catch up with Chuck. "Any idea what has Chuck so bothered?" Rossi asked Hotch.

"No." It wasn't a lie because he wasn't exactly sure. _Maybe it isn't Damian._

XXX

Hotch pulled up behind Cam's van and traded places with Reid. Rossi got in and drove Hotch's car off to another spot to keep an eye on things. Hotch made himself comfortable and waited for Chuck and Mack to get to the bar.

Chuck and Mack approached the bar tentatively. He wasn't sure if his worry over Kahlan was making him feel anxious or if it was his instincts, but either way it pissed him off. _We have to find them!_ He grabbed Mack's hand as if they were a couple, and he led her into the bar and to a tall table in the back. He saw several of the people Cam and Garcia had traced and who were also invited to the meeting, but they still had over thirty minutes and nothing looked to be organized yet. They both made sure to allow their cameras to take in as many people into the bar as possible. A waitress approached them with a smile. "What can I get you guys?"

Chuck looked around the bar quickly. "I'll have a Bud Light," he told her as he realized almost everybody else in the bar was drinking it.

"And you, Hun?" She asked Mack.

"I'll have the same," Mack told her and Chuck gave her a small smile.

The waitress nodded and headed off to get the beers.

"The table of guys at your nine are not on the invitee list. They could be part of the Rebellion," Cam told Chuck in his ear wig.

Chuck and Mack both stole a glance to their left. The table held six men, who all looked like working class men. Chuck noticed that the man closest to them had a slight bulge at the small of his back. "I think they are armed," he whispered into his com link. Everyone who was connected through the com links tensed a little.

Chuck leaned over and kissed Mack on the cheek. "Think you could get this on one of them?" He asked her softly in her ear as he handed her a locator bug.

She smiled, took the bug, and got up. She looked around for the restroom. She smiled again as she realized it was past the men at the table. She walked to the bathroom, waited enough time, and then walked back. As she was passing the men, she tripped and fell to the floor. All six men got up, and the closest two reached down and helped her up like gentlemen. She thanked them sheepishly and went back to her table. "Done," she told Chuck with a smile.

"That's a good girl," he told her quietly as he grabbed her hand in feigned love. "Are you alright?" he asked aloud for the benefit of anyone listening.

Hotch shook his head as he watched the scene unfold. He wasn't worried about Chuck, but Mack was the least experienced one on the team, and he was worried about something happening in the bar with her in it. He couldn't help it. He had developed an almost fatherly type bond with their youngest member since she had joined them.

"Chuck will keep her safe, Hotch," Cam told him confidently as if he could read Hotch's thoughts.

Hotch nodded and continued to watch the monitors. The waitress finally brought them their beers, and Chuck took a long drink and then took a long, deep breath. "What the hell has Chuck so amped up?" Cameron asked Hotch.

Hotch shook his head. "I would have thought you would know."

Cam studied the monitor that showed Mack's camera. It was focused on the table of men and Chuck. "He seems worried about something. Is Vinnie alright?"

"As far as I know. Wouldn't Garcia know about that before anyone else?" Hotch asked him with a grin to try and hide the fact that he was worried.

Cam laughed. "Yeah, Penny definitely knows about what is going on with the girls before any of us do. She would have told us if it she knew anything."

Hotch nodded his agreement. His chest tightened a little more. _What if it doesn't have anything to do with the girls?_ He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. _If I find out that little son of a bitch has done anything, I'll kill him!_

"Several pickups just pulled up," Reid's voice came over the com link.

Hotch looked out the darkened window of the van and saw several men approach the bar's entrance. They were parked too far away for him to actually be able to see what they looked like, though.

Suddenly, Chuck pulled Mack into a strong kiss. "What the hell is he doing?" Hotch asked Cam quickly. They watched as Chuck started to reach under Mack's shirt. Hotch stood up as much as he could. "I'll kill him," he started but stopped as the camera on Mack's shirt turned to take in the men who had just come into the bar.

"Get out of there!" Cam yelled into the com link.

Chuck continued the kiss as the men walked by them.

Hotch held his breath as he watched the monitors. They couldn't help Chuck or Mack, and he felt his anger rising.

"What's going on?" Rossi asked through the com link quickly.

"Hotch?" JJ asked as soon as they realized Hotch wasn't going to answer.

"Hang on," Cam told everyone as he watched the monitors.

Chuck pulled away from Mack and stood up quickly. He pulled out his wallet, laid a ten down on the table, grabbed Mack's arm and pulled her toward the exit quickly. She started to question him, but the look he gave her made her shut up and allow herself to be directed.

They got out of the bar and quickly made their way to Chuck's Jeep. "Meet at the rendezvous point," Chuck told them all as he climbed in and started his Jeep. He peeled out of the parking lot and disappeared around the next corner. Cam went to the driver's seat of the van and started it as Hotch jumped into the passenger seat and they took off to meet up with the others. _God damn it! _Hotch shook his head. _And now we know why every lead turned out to be a dead end._

Hotch and Cam were the last ones to show up in the parking lot behind a closed grocery store. Everyone was looking confused, and Hotch realized Chuck hadn't told them what had happened. As soon as Hotch was out and approaching the group, Chuck immediately went to him. "That was him, right? I'm not losing my mind, right?" Chuck asked him as everyone else stared at the two men.

"Yes," is all Hotch said.

"What the hell is going on?" Morgan asked them desperately.

"That's what I'd like to know. I'm sitting there trying to keep an eye on everyone at once, and then Chuck swallows my face," she told them. "Nice kiss, by the way," she told Chuck with a smile.

"Sorry. It was the first thing that jumped into my head," Chuck admitted with a blush.

"Do you think he saw you?" Cam asked him.

"I don't think so," Chuck told him. He took a couple steps away from them. "Son of a bitch!" Chuck yelled as punched the side of his Jeep.

"Would someone please explain what is going on?" Rossi asked them calmly as he looked at the new dent in the side of Chuck's Jeep.

Hotch took a deep breath. "Lt. Daniels from DC SWAT was with the group of men who just showed up," he explained. Several shocked looks told him that they knew what the information indicated.

"Could it just be coincidence?" JJ asked trying to be optimistic.

"He was with two from the invitee list, and I'm pretty sure one of the other men with him was one of the terrorists from the hospital shootings," Cam told them calmly.

"So we know who the leak is," Morgan said, and they could all tell he was pissed.

"That son of a bitch! I'll kill him!" Chuck yelled. _He's probably the one who wanted to target the FBI! _Everyone looked at him with concern. They could understand him being mad, but he was livid. _He probably wanted to get back at Hotch!_

"Isn't that the guy you. . ." Reid started and but stopped when Rossi hit him on the arm. They all knew Daniels was the guy who Hotch had punched after he and Kahlan had gotten into it in the bullpen.

"So what now?" Mack asked them. They couldn't go back in and try to get in on the meeting with Daniels knowing all of them.

Hotch ran a hand down his face.

Cam patted Chuck on the back. "We'll have to see if the bug Mack planted leads us somewhere."

"I left a listener under the table, but I don't know if it'll be close enough to hear anything worthwhile," Chuck told them after he calmed himself down some.

Cam nodded and went back to the van.

"So we wait," Rossi told them, and they could hear the defeat in his tone.

"They don't have time for us to wait!" Chuck yelled and went back to his Jeep.

Hotch grabbed his shoulder to stop him from getting in. "Where the hell are you going?"

Chuck shook him off roughly. "Nowhere. There's nowhere for me to go," Chuck told him and then stalked off a few paces. "We have to wait!" Chuck told him disgustedly.

Hotch sighed and then went back to the van.

"It doesn't sound like they suspected anything," Cam assured them.

Hotch nodded and gave Rossi a worried look. He could tell that Rossi was just as worried by Chuck's behavior as he was.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Hotch sat in the van, and he thought about Daniels. He licked his lips. _Damn it! That son of a bitch probably targeted us because of me! My girls are in trouble because I couldn't keep a lid on my anger! Son of a bitch!_ Hotch got up and left the van.

Rossi watched him walk away from the group. _Now what's wrong?_ He quickly joined Hotch and realized Hotch was getting upset. "What?" He asked him quickly. Hotch shook his head without looking at him. "Aaron?" He asked him a little more loudly.

Hotch finally turned to face him. His eyes were full of unshed tears. "It's my fault."

"What is?"

"If I hadn't hit him. . ."

"You're blaming yourself for the invitations?" Rossi asked him incredulously. _I knew you'd find a way to blame yourself again._

Hotch nodded and turned away from him again. "He probably gave the asshole the idea. If I would have controlled my anger. . ." He took a couple steps away from him. "Jesus Christ! I'm turning into that son of a bitch!"

Rossi's heart ached. He knew Hotch was referring to his father and the way he always let his anger rule him. Hotch had always prided himself on controlling his anger, and Rossi knew Hotch had vowed at an early age to not get drawn into following in his father's footsteps. "Don't you dare compare yourself to that bastard, Aaron!"

"But if I hadn't had hit him. . ."

"You have no idea what would or would not have happened. It might have nothing to do with you," Rossi suggested.

Hotch wasn't having any of it, though. "Joey wouldn't be in that damn hospital. . ."

"Stop it, now, Aaron! Whoever put that powder in those invitations is the one responsible, not you!"

"But he targeted the FBI because of me!"

"You don't know that!"

"They could have hit any agency, but they chose us!"

"That probably has more to do with us being put in charge than with you. . ."

"So it's still my fault."

Rossi shook his head. "Damn it, Aaron! If you want to blame someone, blame Daniels! If you truly think that you knocking him on his ass, has made that big of a difference, then blame him for putting that bug into the Rebellion's ear!" Hotch considered him a moment. He took a shuddering breath and finally nodded. Rossi put his hand on his back. "Come on, we're getting close. I can feel it." His brows furrowed a little when he felt Hotch breathing a little too shallowly and a little too quickly. _Is something wrong, or is it just because you're upset?_ He didn't even think Hotch noticed.

"God, I hope so," Hotch told him as he stood up straighter and walked back to the van with Rossi.

Chuck witnessed the whole thing from his Jeep. _Please, Kay! Please make it through this or he will never be able to live with himself! _He felt a tear escape the corner of his eye and he quickly wiped it away. _I should tell him, but now that we know Daniels is involved, we need him here more than ever. Damn it, Kay! Why did you put me in this position?_

Rossi looked at Morgan. "Go stake out the bar. If Daniels leaves, we need to know where he's going." Morgan nodded and headed to his SUV with JJ following close behind.

XXX

Once six o'clock rolled around, everyone gathered around the van to see if the bug Chuck hid in the bar picked up any of the meeting. Within a few minutes, though, they all realized that whoever had taken over the table was too loud for anything else to be heard. With slumped shoulders and defeated looks, they all waited to see if the locator bug Mack was able to place would led them to anything. They all silently prayed that it would.

Hotch watched Chuck sulk back to his Jeep, and he shook his head. He understood Chuck's want to find them and end it all, but he thought it was more than that. He decided to see if he could figure it out a little more. He walked over and leaned up against the Jeep and waited for Chuck to look at him. He winced slightly as he realized it hurt a little to breathe.

Chuck saw Hotch walk over, but he didn't want to face him. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep his secret. _Please don't ask me about Kay!_

"So what do you think about the new squad?" Hotch asked him offhandedly.

Chuck's head snapped to him, he hadn't expected that. "They're alright, I guess."

"How do they compare with you all when you were on it?"

Chuck huffed. "They might be good, but they're not that good," he told Hotch with a smile.

Hotch chuckled. _Good, he's relaxing a little._ "So what do you think of Damian?"

_Ahhh, now I get it. Well at least you're not asking about Kay's health!_ Chuck smiled. "He's an idiot! He should not be in charge."

Hotch pursed his lips. _At least I know he doesn't like him. He wouldn't hide anything from me about him. _He furrowed his brows. _Yes, he would. He would do anything for Kahlan. Should I press him some more?_ Hotch studied the man in front of him. He had come to think of Chuck as a younger brother, but he knew his loyalty was to Kahlan first and foremost. "He likes Kahlan, doesn't he?"

Chuck swallowed hard. "He's an arrogant ass."

_You didn't answer the question. Damn it!_ "I think it's quite obvious."

"Don't worry about him, Hotch. Kahlan loves you, she would never do any. . ." he stopped and tried to cover the pause with a cough as he realized he was about to tell a lie to one of the best profilers in the country. He had lied to Hotch before without any problems, but he knew the tenuous grip he had on his emotions was already making him easier to read, and he hated it.

Hotch's hands balled into fists as soon as he realized Chuck was lying. _You do know something! Damn it!_ He felt his chest tighten even more.

"Hey, the bug Mack planted is moving!" Reid yelled over to them.

Hotch shot Chuck a look and went to the van.

Chuck watched him walk away. _Well, at least, he doesn't know what I am actually trying to keep hidden._ Chuck got out of his Jeep and joined the rest of the group at the van. _I'm sorry, Hotch, but damn it, why do you have to be so damn good at your job?_

Morgan had also let them know that Daniels was on the move, and as it turned out, the man from the table and Daniels were going to the same place. Hotch told Morgan to back off since they had the locator bug to follow, and he didn't want Daniels to get the chance to see any of them.

Cam got his satellites tasked and they zeroed in on the vehicle with the bug in it. They all watched in shock as the image zoomed in on a convoy of vehicles going down the road toward the Shenandoah River. "Jesus Christ, everyone from the meeting must be heading out together," Mack mused aloud.

Reid nodded. "Even if every vehicle only held two men, we're looking at about twenty guys."

"There's several vehicles with more than one person," Cam pointed out as he adjusted the angel and such on the satellite and they could all see several of the vehicles were loaded.

"Son of a bitch!" Chuck yelled. He looked at Hotch, then at the rest of the group around him, and then back to Hotch. "There's no way the eight of us can stop a force like that."

"Stop them from what? They're only driving down the road. We don't even know if these guys are part of the Rebellion. Hell, for all we know they could be heading out to some big redneck party," Mack told them.

"She does have a valid point," Cam agreed.

"Let me follow them. I can sneak up on them and see what they are doing. Then I can let you all know," Chuck told him.

Hotch studied him. Chuck was biting at the bit to do something, but he was worried about him trying to handle things on his own. "I'll join you," Hotch told him.

Rossi's jaw dropped. "What? Now, just wait a minute. I can see him doing this, but you?"

Hotch gave him a look. "I am perfectly capable of. . ."

"I didn't mean it that way and you know it. You could get out there and they could be arming themselves for their next strike, they could be. . ."

"Rossi's right," Chuck started. "You're the leader; you don't put yourself in that kind of position. You stay back and compile all of the intelligence and then decide what to do next. . ." _You are not putting yourself in danger, too!_

"Morgan can go if you don't want him to do it alone," Reid suggested as Morgan and JJ pulled back up.

Hotch fixed Chuck with a look. "That might be the way you all do it, but on this team, no one person stays out of danger while the others put themselves in it. Rossi and Morgan can handle things here. . ."

Chuck shook his head. "No. I'm not taking you with me," he told him flatly.

"Excuse me?" Hotch took a step closer to him. "I wasn't asking your permission."

"Hotch," Rossi started but stopped when Hotch turned his glare on him.

Chuck returned the glare. "Kahlan would kick my ass if something happened to you!"

"I thought you were just going to gather intell. There shouldn't be anything dangerous about that."

"There's always a chance of. . ."

"Then stay with the van, I'm going. Cam, send me the coordinates as soon as they get to where they're going. You all stay a safe distance behind and be ready to move as soon as I let you all know what's happening," Hotch told them all.

"Cam! You are not going to let him tell you. . . Kahlan would kill us if she found out. . ." Chuck started.

Hotch studied Chuck a little harder. His chest tightened even more. "That's the second time you've said 'would' and not 'will'."

Chuck's anger faltered as he realized how damning the mistake had been. He ran his hand through his hair. "Fine! Let's get going before they get too far ahead of us," he told him and tried to head to his Jeep, but Hotch grabbed his arm.

"Tell me why you said it like that!" Hotch demanded. Everyone had stilled at looked at the two men. Hotch grabbed the front of his shirt. "Charles?" Hotch said a little harder. Chuck looked at the people around him; even Cam had come out of the van. "Tell me," Hotch demanded as his chest heaved.

Chuck took a deep breath and looked at the ground. "Kahlan's getting sick," he told him weakly.

"What?!" Hotch let him go as he felt his knees getting weak. "No! She was fine. . . She would have called. . . They would. . ." Hotch swallowed hard and looked at him. _Oh God, that's why it hurts to breathe. Oh God! _"That's why you've been in such a hurry. That's what you've been so worried about."

Chuck nodded as his eyes watered. "She told me not to tell you. God, Hotch. I am so sorry!"

"Why?" Hotch asked him as he felt his anger rise. "Why wouldn't you tell me?!"

"She didn't want you to worry. . . She. . . I. . ." Chuck hung his head.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Hotch asked him quietly. If everyone hadn't been stunned into silence, no one would have heard him.

"I don't know how bad; she was playing it off. . ."

"When did you find out?" Hotch wanted to know. Chuck winced and looked at the ground again. "You didn't go see Vinnie, did you?" Chuck swallowed hard. "You've known for. . . most of the day?" As everything started being connected in his mind, he was finding it harder and harder to breathe, and he knew that Kahlan was struggling, too. He ran a hand down his face. _No, God, please! Not both of my girls!_

Rossi looked at Morgan. "Take care of things here." Morgan quickly nodded. "Come on, I'm driving," he told Hotch as he put his hand on his back and stared to steer him to his car.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

"Just give me a minute to think!" Hotch told Rossi as he pulled away from him.

"You don't want to go see her?" Rossi asked him quickly.

Hotch raised his hand to stop any further talking. His eyes darted around as he tried to process everything. Rossi took a deep breath and waited, so did everyone else.

Chuck focused on the ground as he felt the team's accusing eyes on him.

Hotch paced back and forth. His first thought was to run to Kahlan, but the agent in him made him stop to consider all of the things that were running through his head. He looked at Chuck. "Can you get close enough to see and maybe even hear what they are doing?"

Chuck stood up straight. "I can."

Hotch nodded and went back to thinking. He ran a hand across the back of his neck and then looked at Chuck again. That time he fixed him with his stare. "Can you promise me that you will not do anything accept gather intell?" Hotch knew Chuck's promises were just as good as his own.

Chuck licked his lips as he looked around the empty parking lot around them. They could all tell he was warring within himself. Finally, he looked back at Hotch. "I promise."

"To only watch and listen, to not do anything else without instructions?" Hotch clarified.

"Yes."

"I need to hear it."

"I promise," Chuck told him. _Of course, I promise, Hotch. I owe you._

"Do you want anyone else to go with you?" Hotch asked as he looked at those around him.

"No. I can stay hidden better on my own."

"Then go," he told Chuck and then turned to Cameron. "Make sure he has everything needed. . ."

"Of course," Cam told him and went back into the van with Chuck following.

Hotch then turned to everyone else. "Chuck was right; the eight of us can't handle this if it gets to that point. We need to gather. . ."

"But if Daniels is in on it, anyone else could be, too," Morgan pointed out.

Hotch nodded. "We need to select a group of people we know we can trust," he told them and they all started to compile a list in their heads. He rubbed a hand down his face and walked to the van. "Can you stay here and handle things with Chuck?"

"Certainly," Cam told him without even thinking.

"Are you comfortable with us leaving?"

"Take as long as you need. I will make sure Chuck behaves. . ." Cam started as he was going through a tub of equipment. He paused in his searched and looked Hotch in the eyes. "Don't worry about Chuck. Get home and take care of Kay."

"Ok," Hotch told him and went to turn away.

"Tell her. . ." Cam started but then stopped. Hotch turned back to him, and Cam took a deep breath. "Tell her that, if she knows what's good for her, she'll make it through this."

Hotch smiled. "I will," he told him and then went back to his team. "Figure out who you want to call in on this. I'll call Clapper and let him know what's going on. I'm sure he will authorize whatever we need him to. We'll meet back at the bullpen."

They all nodded and headed to the vehicles. Rossi stood there waiting for Hotch. "I'm going with you," he told him in a tone that told him not to argue. Hotch nodded and threw Rossi his keys.

XXX

Once they were on the highway, Hotch called Hamill. He wanted the truth, and he didn't think Kahlan would be honest with him.

"Agent Hotchner," Hamill answered.

"Tell me what is going on. I know she's getting sick, and I don't understand because she was fine the last time I was there," Hotch started.

"You knew the risks. I told her when she decided to do it that I didn't like it. . ."

"What risks?"

"She said she talked to you. . ."

"About what?" Hotch bit his lip and sighed deeply. "What has she done?"

"She didn't discuss it with you?"

"Apparently not."

"I am so sorry, Agent Hotchner. I should have taken it upon myself. . ."

"Just tell me what is going on."

"Your daughter was doing worse. . ."

_Oh, God. Not my Angel,_ Hotch thought as his chest tightened even more.

"And your wife decided that she wanted to donate some of her blood to help fight against the powder. . ."

"And?"

"We all agreed that it might help."

"And?"

"She decided she wanted to help them all."

"She gave enough blood for them all?" Hotch asked in disbelief. He wasn't a doctor, but he knew that Kahlan's own body was stopping her from get sicker. He closed his eyes as he started to understand what was happening.

"I told her that giving up that many of her antibodies would probably be detrimental to her own health, but she insisted. . ."

"I'm sure she did," he told her as he felt his anger rising. "How sick is she?"

Hamill took a deep breath. "I'm not exactly sure. I don't think she is being completely honest with us."

"But she is getting sicker?"

"Yes, and I think she is getting worse by the hour."

_Oh, God. Please, no. _"Exactly how sick do you think she is?" He asked her weakly.

"I believe it has attacked her lungs the hardest, but that is to be expected as that is her weakest organ."

"What? There is nothing wrong. . ." Hotch couldn't understand; he knew Kahlan was in amazing shape.

"The scar tissue makes them weak. . ."

"What scar tissue?" He asked quickly. He knew about the scars on the outside of her body.

"From her bout with the plague in 97. . . "

"What?!" He asked her desperately.

"You didn't know?"

"She told you that?" He couldn't believe that Kahlan had told her and not him.

"Well, she gave us her medical records. I just assumed you knew."

_Jesus Christ! Really, Babe? The plague?_ "How bad is she?"

"She's holding her own, as of right now. Again, though, I believe she is trying to keep exactly how bad she is to herself. Maybe you could talk to her. . ."

"I'm a couple hours out, but I'm on my way there now. I will have a talk with her; I promise you that."

"Then I will see you then."

"Alright, thank you, Dr. Hamill."

"Of course."

Hotch ended the call and reached up and massaged his temples. Rossi had heard enough to get extremely worried, but he knew Hotch needed a little time to process the call; so he silently waited for Hotch to tell him what had happened.

XXX

Hotch quietly opened the door connecting to Kahlan's room. He had it in his mind to immediately yell at her for what she had done, but his resolve faltered a little when he realized she was in the bathroom throwing up. As he stood there waiting, though, he felt his anger rising even more. _God damn it, Kahlan! You brought this on yourself!_ His nostrils flared as he placed a hand on the glass.

Kahlan finally emerged out of the bathroom and immediately saw who was waiting for her. She winced at the anger on his face. _Oh shit! Damn it! I knew I should have made Chuck promise!_ She quickly pulled the sleeves down on the scrub shirt and smiled innocently. "Hey, Hun, I thought you were in Luray."

He fixed her with his stare. "Don't, Hun, me. Why? Why would you do that?"

"What?"

"Why would you put yourself in the position to get sick?" He studied her closely. She looked pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. He knew she was also trying hard to cover up the fact that she wasn't breathing normally.

"I had to do something. . ."

"No you didn't! Damn it, Kahlan, I know you're used to making spilt second decisions on your own, but you lost that privilege when you married me!"

"I'm sorry, Aaron, but they were running out of time. . ."

"And now so are you! You don't get to make those kinds of decisions on your own! You should have discussed it with me!" She looked down at the floor. "But you didn't because you knew I'd be against it!"

She finally looked back up at him. "Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't have done the same?"

"Since I was left out of the conversation, we'll never know, will we?"

She swallowed hard. "You would have done it," she told him flatly.

"That's beside the point now. What I really want to know is, why? Why would you hide it? Did you honestly think I wouldn't find out?"

She used a hand to cover a cough and he winced when he noticed blood on the paper towel in her hand. "I didn't want you to know because of this."

He gave her a puzzled look. "Because you didn't want me yelling at you?"

"Because I knew you'd come running instead of doing your job. . ."

"To hell with my job. Damn it, there are some things more important. . ."

"Not when you doing your job is the only way to save us!" She yelled back as she pointed to world outside of the hospital.

He finally saw the massive bruise on her right shoulder that she tried to hide with her shirt. "You can't trust me to do my job and worry about you?"

"You have enough to worry about. I didn't want to add to it. . ."

"And yet you did," he told her sharply. He shook his head and almost felt guilty at the look he had caused on her face. "I know when you get your mind set on something that there's no changing it, Kahlan. It would have been nice, though, to have been in on the conversation instead of being blindsided by it!"

She hung her head as her shoulders slumped. "I really am sorry, Aaron," she told him quietly and walked to the bed and sat down.

"How sick are you?" He asked her calmly as he felt most of his anger leaving.

"I'm fine," she told him without looking at him.

"You're obviously not fine, Kahlan. Why won't you let Hamill know what's going on? She can help you. . ."

She shook her head and covered another cough.

"Look at me."

"Just go."

"Not until I'm done talking to you."

"You have every right to be mad at me, but I can't go back in time to change any of it so there is no use in discussing it anymore," she told him as she brought her legs up to sit Indian style on the bed. She still didn't look at him. "And I really hope I have the chance to make it up to you."

That hit home. He then knew that she had doubts of them finding Dr. Bowman in time. The rest of his anger quickly dissolved into worry. "Look at me, please," he pleaded.

"You're wasting time," she told him as she wiped her face.

He thought she was crying, but she was too far away to truly know for sure. "Babe?" he watched her chest rising and falling in a shaky rhythm, and he felt his mimicking hers as he felt a tear trail down his cheek. "We will find Bowman and the asshole in charge of it all," he told her hoping that his voice portrayed more confidence than he really felt at the time.

She nodded.

"I love you," he told her trying to get a better response.

"You need to go, Aaron," she told him and then coughed again.

He sighed deeply. "Alright, Kahlan. I'll text you as soon as we have an update." He waited to see if she'd respond but after a few moments of silence, he left the room. _I wasn't that hard on her. Why would she act like that?_

Tears spilled out of her eyes as she watched him leave. _It's easier to let you think I'm mad than to let you know I'm too weak to stand up. God, Aaron. I am so sorry!_ She took out her phone and texted him.

Hotch took out his phone when it vibrated. 'Be safe,' Kahlan texted him. A small grin found its way to his lips in spite of the situation. He found Rossi waiting down the hall.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

"Hamill's waiting to speak to you," Rossi told him as he put his hand on Hotch's shoulder in support. Hotch nodded. "How's she doing? Do I need to go in there and talk some sense into her?" He joked to try and lighten Hotch's mood. He could tell by the way he was acting, that Kahlan wasn't doing well.

"She's trying to act like she's not that bad."

"I'm sorry, Aaron."

Hotch nodded again.

"They will make it," Rossi insisted knowing that Hotch was thinking all kinds of bad things.

"I stopped in to see Joey before I went into Kahlan's room. I. . ." He swallowed hard. "Seeing her hooked up to that machine. . ."

"Come on, Aaron. I know this is hard. . ."

"It stopped my heart and I couldn't breathe. . ." He paused as he wiped a stray tear away. "To see my little Angel like that. . ."

"It's just helping her. . ."

"That damn thing is what's keeping her alive!"

"They will make it," he told him again, but he didn't think Hotch was even listening; he was lost in his own dark thoughts.

"We've got to save them, Dave. I don't think I could handle losing them," Hotch told him weakly as he wiped away another tear that escaped his eye.

"You're not going to have to find out!" Rossi told him forcibly. "Let's talk to Hamill and get out of here. We will solve this, Aaron."

Hotch finally nodded, took a deep breath, and started walking toward Hamill's office. Rossi walked beside him and silently prayed that what he said was true.

XXX

Hotch walked out to his car in a sort of trance. He had heard everything from Hamill, and he had made her promise to call him if Kahlan got any worse, but he still had a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. _Please God, please let her make it through this!_ He sat down in the passenger seat and rubbed a hand down his face.

Once Rossi was on the road back to the BAU, Hotch's phone vibrated. It was Kahlan: 'I would have said I loved you, but that would have been a lie.'

His breath hitched in his chest. _What the hell is that supposed to mean?_ He was about ready to tell Rossi to turn around, when his phone vibrated again and signaled another text from Kahlan. It was a link to a song. He looked at the title and his heart sank even further.

"What?" Rossi asked desperately as he noticed how Hotch was reacting to the text.

"She sent me another song, but I don't think I want to hear it. . ."

"Which one?" Rossi asked, not sure he wanted to know.

"Michael Bolton's "Said I Loved You, but I Lied'," Hotch told him in a shaky voice.

"Oh," Rossi started. "I don't think it's what you think," Rossi tried to assure him. "Listen to it."

Hotch looked at him disbelievingly, but he touched the link and watched the video. He listened to it intently and finally relaxed once the first chorus finished. _What I feel for you is more than love, too, Babe! I do need you forever and I need you to stay! I need you in this life and the next!_ He thought as tears trailed down his cheeks. Once the song was finished he put his phone away and wiped his cheeks. "I really don't think I can live without her, Dave," he admitted weakly.

"I know, Aaron. I know," Rossi repeated as he patted Hotch on the leg. "And you won't have to!" He told him matter-of-factly.

Hotch nodded and tried to will himself to believe it, too.

Once he collected himself he called Clapper and let him know what was going on. Clapper was beyond livid when he found out that Daniels was involved with the Rebellion, and he agreed to keep any and all new information to the group that Hotch and his team handpicked. He also said he would make sure that anyone the team wanted to in that group would be made available. Hotch thanked him and called his team to let them know he was on his way.

XXX

What Hotch found in the bullpen surprised him. There was over thirty people standing around and talking, and all of them were armed and ready for work. He smiled mentally. He knew his team would come through. They all quieted down as he made his way towards them. "We need a minute," Morgan told the people around him and then nodded toward the conference room. Hotch and Rossi followed him. "Garcia has already contacted Clapper with everyone's information, and he has already given the green light," Morgan started as soon as they were behind closed doors.

"Mina, too?" Rossi asked quickly. Mina worked for the CIA, and he knew that Clapper must have been pissed about Daniels if he gave them permission to operate on US soil.

"Yes," Morgan told him with a grin. "She actually brought her whole team," he told them proudly.

"Will brought ten of his friends from the force, too," JJ told them with her own smile.

"Have we heard from Chuck or Cam yet?" Hotch asked them.

"Yes. Puddin said that things were, and I quote 'heating up and we needed to hurry before it started to boil.' I'm not exactly sure what that means, but he seemed worried," Garcia told him.

"When did you hear from him?" Hotch asked as he looked at his watch. It was already after midnight.

"About an hour ago, and Chuck said the OS was with him, but I don't know what that means either," she told them.

"What?!" Hotch and Rossi both said at the same time.

Garcia flinched at their tones. "Sorry, I guess I should have asked. . ."

"No. It's fine," Hotch told her quickly.

"What's the. . ."

"He meant the NSA team," Rossi quickly verified.

"Aren't they supposed to be tracking down the CDC guy? Oh. . ." She stopped as she figured out what it meant.

"Son of a bitch!" Morgan yelled as he understood what it all meant.

"We need to get going," Hotch told them quickly. "We can call Cam and Chuck and brief everyone once we're there." Hotch turned to Morgan. "Get everyone ready to go."

Morgan nodded and left the room. Garcia picked up her laptop and handed it to Hotch. "Take this. I will get you connected to Puddin and you all can parley on the road so you know what's going on before you get there."

Hotch took the laptop. "It can do that on the road?"

"Of course it can thanks to the computer Double-O got me and Puddin's satellites," she told him with a smile and headed out of the conference room.

"Of course it does," Hotch said to himself as he followed her out.

XXX

As the convoy of government agents and police officers careened down the interstate towards Luray, Hotch sat in the back seat of the SUV talking to Cam trough the laptop. "The squad tracked Bowman here. Chuck actually saw them and got their attention before they could do anything. Sam is out there keeping an eye on everything, but Chuck and the rest of them are on their way back to me," Cam told him.

"So what are we looking at?"

"The damn foliage is too thick for regular sat imagery, but thermal shows about thirty people in and around what Chuck described as some sort of hunting lodge. I can only pick up one floor of the structure, though, but Chuck swears theres two stories and a basement, so God knows what it's made out of."

"So there could easily be a lot more people inside," Hotch told him with disgust.

"What are they doing?"

"To begin with, they were having a, and I quote, 'A fucking huge ass redneck rally.'"

Hotch chuckled. He could just picture Chuck saying that. "And it apparently turned into something else?"

"Yes. And by the sounds and images that I'm getting from the drones, they seem to be gearing up for another attack."

Hotch shook his head. _Damn it! Like I don't have enough shit to worry about!_ "What? Where?" He wasn't sure what a 'drone' was but he was sure it was some sort of spy gadget.

"The sound isn't the best; it keeps breaking up. . ."

"Just tell me what you think it all means." Hotch knew Cameron was a perfectionist, and he liked to be exact, but the news was too disturbing to leave it at that.

Cam took a deep breath and Hotch started to get a little more worried. "I think they are targeting the public transportation systems first."

_Son of a bitch!_ Hotch remembered the plans and such that they had found in the first cabin they had searched. "When?" Is all he asked.

"Tomorrow."

Hotch swallowed hard.

"I have it all recorded, let me send them to you and let you decide."

"Alright." Hotch nodded. "Wait, you mean email it?" Hotch wanted to clarify.

Cam laughed. "Yeah, Hotch, through email." He clicked several keys and then smiled. "There you go. You do know how to check your email, right?"

"Ha ha, funny, funny," Hotch told him sarcastically. Hotch then looked around the laptop in front of him and then glanced at Rossi who was sitting next to him. Rossi quickly shook his head to let him know he had no idea.

"You don't know how to connect to your email, do you?" Cam asked with a big grin.

"Not with your big head staring back at me. How do I get to the desktop?"

Cam laughed again and started to type on his keyboard. Suddenly Hotch's screen split so Cam's video feed was on one half and Hotch's work email was open on the other.

"Thank you," Hotch told him dryly and opened the message that led to the videos from Chuck.

Hotch and Rossi watched the video. Hotch's anger rose a little with each passing minute. Rossi shook his head and Hotch knew he was getting mad, too. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Yep," Hotch told him simply through clenched teeth.

"You all are catching that, too, huh?" Cam asked as he watched Hotch and Rossi's reactions.

Hotch's hands balled into fists as he listened to the pep talk the Rebellion had given to its members. After the pep talk, plans were discussed on how to attack the trains, buses, and metro systems around the DC area. That's when the audio started cutting in and out, but Hotch could read between the lines to figure out what was said. The information pissed him off. Towards the end, though, what he heard made his blood run cold. 'The first attack against the FBI. . . the damage we wanted, so we. . . our aim and take out those indiv. . . have thwarted our attacks by. . .'

"And that's where we lost audio completely," Cam told him.

"What? No, we didn't get to. . ."

"I'm sorry, Hotch."

Hotch slammed a hand down on the arm rest on the door beside him.

"He's talking about us, right?" JJ asked from the front seat. Even though she couldn't see the screen, she heard every word in the silent car. Will, who was driving, shot her a look that told her he agreed with her assessment.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

When Hotch got to the rendezvous point, everyone from the bullpen could tell that his mood had darkened drastically since they had left. Rossi got the team updated while Hotch went to Cameron and Chuck to get the latest intell so they could decide what to do next. That's when he noticed a group of men around the van. Hotch smiled mentally when he realized Chuck and Cam had also called in a few friends. Tom, one of the men who had helped in Indiana, nodded at Hotch as he approached then ushered everyone away from the van so Hotch could talk to Chuck and Cam privately.

Chuck looked around at all of the people Hotch had brought with them and smiled. "Damn, Hotch, I knew your team was good, but this is nice."

"Think we have enough now?" Hotch asked him seriously. Hotch was still mad at Chuck, so he didn't return the smile.

Chuck pursed his lips as he thought. "Unless there's a hell of a lot more of them hiding in that damn building, I'd say we're about even."

"Good."

"But you all are staying here, right?" Chuck asked quickly.

"You all?" Hotch asked him as he wasn't sure who Chuck was referring to.

"You and your team."

"No. We will be. . ."

"But you watched the video?" Chuck asked him incredulously.

"Yes."

"So you saw that it was Daniels leading the whole thing."

"I did," Hotch told him through clenched teeth. It was bad enough to think that Daniels was in on it, but after watching the video, it seemed like Daniels was the actual leader.

"Did you see the part where he's threatening you all? That he was the one behind the invitations?" Chuck didn't want to think of them being targets and them putting themselves in the vicinity of the enemy would wanted them dead.

"It wasn't clear what. . ."

"Yes it was! He's pissed that you all alerted everyone before the invitations could do a lot of damage. He wants revenge against you all, and I bet you're at the top of his list!"

Hotch took a deep breath and sighed. "Chuck, we have a job to do, and none of us are going to sit out while someone else puts themselves in danger. We. . ."

"Bullshit!" Chuck exclaimed and turned away from Hotch roughly. _God Damn it, Hotch! What if Kay doesn't make it? What if something happens to you, too? Jesus Christ! Who will the kids have?_

Hotch studied the younger man. He was pretty sure what Chuck was thinking, so he went and put a hand on his shoulder. "Then, I guess you better make sure you have my back," he told him quietly.

Chuck huffed as he chewed on his lip. Finally he cut his eyes to the side and looked at Hotch. "With my life if I have to," he told him seriously.

Hotch knew he was being earnest, so he squeezed his shoulder and finally smiled at him. "Let's hope it doesn't get close to that."

Chuck nodded and took a deep breath.

"Where is the squad? Are they sure Bowman is in there?"

"They're around," he started as he looked around for them. "But I saw him as he went inside, so yes, he is there."

Hotch nodded and considered all of the information.

Chuck reached into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here. I drew up what I could see of the lodge."

Hotch took the crude drawing, and smiled as he realized Chuck had pinpointed all of the doors and windows; he had even marked where he thought would be weak and strong points and the terrain around it.

Cam fixed him with a serious look. "I know you have a thousand things going on right now, and I didn't want to ask you on the laptop, but I. . ." He started and noticed Chuck's look. "We, really need to know how she is doing."

Hotch glanced at Chuck and then looked back at Cameron. "I don't know how bad it is. She won't even be honest with the doctor and nurses, but it's not good."

"That's because she knows they'd tell you," Cam told him.

Chuck shook his head in disgust. "We need Bowman. He's the only one who can help her," Chuck told him desperately.

Hotch nodded his agreement.

Cam nodded and went back to his computers.

Chuck slammed a fist into the side of the van. "God Damn it!" he screamed in frustration.

"Come on," Hotch started as he put his arm around Chuck's shoulder. "Let's get everyone caught up and then let's go get these bastards."

"I call dibs on Daniels," Chuck told him as his usual smile finally found its way back to his face as they walked.

"Not if I get him first," Hotch joked and then went to Rossi to see what the team had come up with.

After talking to the team, Hotch went to make his way to the center of the gathered people so he could address them all. As he walked through the crowd, though, he came upon Damian talking to Chuck.

"So how's Kay doing," Damian asked Chuck. Chuck immediately saw Hotch behind Damian, and he mentally winced at the angry look on Hotch's face.

"Maybe if you want to know something about _my wife_, you should ask me, because I am _her husband_!" Hotch told him coldly.

Damian turned to look at him. "Wow, the way you emphasized that, it's like you need to convince yourself of that fact."

"No, I'm just trying to state it simply enough for you to understand because you don't seem to get it," Hotch told him as he took a step closer to him.

Chuck tensed. He'd protect Hotch and beat Damian's ass if it came down to it.

"Well, I have to wonder exactly how great that relationship is with as little as you know about her," Damian told him with a cocky look.

"Excuse me?" Hotch asked heatedly.

Chuck tensed some more when he saw Morgan and Rossi slowly walking over to them. He really didn't want to see a fight between the BAU team and the Omega Squad because he was sure that the Omega squad would win, but he also knew he would jump in on the BAU's side. He silently wondered if he could take on the Omega Squad by himself.

"You're referring to her time in the OS?" Hotch continued.

"Which you obviously know nothing about. I know her better than you do," Damian insisted.

"So, because you know about what she did over twenty years ago, you think you _know_ her?" Hotch knew it wasn't the right time to deal with the young, arrogant asshole, but he had to put a stop to it.

"I do," Damian told him with a cocky grin.

"Alright, if you know her so well, where did she graduate high school?" Damian's look went from cocky to blank, and Hotch knew he didn't know the answer. "Oh, you don't know that, huh?" Damian rolled his eyes. "From right here in Luray. How about the names of her best friends while in high school?" Damian licked his bottom lip. "Don't know that either, huh? Stella and Gwen. How about her Dad's name? If you know her, than you must know he was her hero." Damian shuffled his feet. "His name was Daryl, and she lost him a few years ago." Damian looked at his squad mates, but their faces showed disappointment in their leader, and his shoulders slumped. "Maybe those questions are a little too personal." Hotch crossed his arms and looked at the younger man like a teacher would appraise an insolent student. "You seem to spend most of your time around her staring at her, so how about we check your powers of observation? Is she right or left handed?"

Damian suddenly smiled. "Left because she wears her watch on the right."

Hotch pursed his lips and raised his brows. Damian's look of triumph almost made Chuck want to smack him. "That would be correct. . ." Damian stood up a little straighter. "For about ninety-five percent of the population," Hotch continued. "But she's right handed. She thinks it's a waste of time to bring her non-dominate arm up to check the time when her dominant arm is already being used." Damian shoulders slumped a little more. Hotch relaxed his arms, squared his shoulders, and clasped his hands in front of him. "How many times does she have her ears pierced?"

Damian's eyes went up and to the left as he tried to picture Kahlan's face in his mind.

It was Hotch's turn to get a cocky grin and he raised one of his brows; he knew he had him again. "Twelve. Eight in her left and four in her right." He took a step closer to Damian which put him about six inches away from him. "I guess you really don't know her as much as you thought you did." He leaned down to look him straight in the eyes. "_I_ do _know_ her because she is _my wife_! And don't you forget it!" Hotch told him with enough threat that Damian leaned away from him. "So the next time you would like to know something about her," he started as he leaned in even closer and fixed him with his stare. "You can ask me," Hotch finished with deadly intent.

"Yes, sir," Damian said and swallowed hard.

After a few more seconds of staring, Hotch finally turned and walked away from him; Rossi and Morgan quickly caught up with him. Rossi failed as he tried to hide the proud grin on his face.

Chuck shook his head at Damian. "I told you that you were going to get yourself into trouble."

Damian actually smiled. "Well, at least now I am starting to see why you like him so much." He looked after Hotch and chuckled. "He's got balls."

Chuck shook his head again and also looked towards Hotch. "Yeah, big, brass ones."

Jules and Bee laughed as they too watched Hotch walking away. "More like titanium," Bee told him as she appraised Hotch shrewdly.

"Jesus Christ! You all are a bunch of idiots!" Chuck explained as he shook his head at Bee and finally turned to follow Hotch.

Once Hotch had everyone's attention, he started splitting them up into groups. Cam yelled something from the van and Chuck grabbed his satellite com link and shoved it into his ear. Sam was telling them that several of men were loading up and heading out. "Shit!" Chuck exclaimed and Hotch paused to look at him. "There heading out," Chuck told him quickly.

"Get me a map!" Hotch told them.

Cam was already on his way with a tablet displaying a map of the vicinity around the Rebellion. He showed it to Hotch.

"So this bridge is the only way off that mountain and back across the Shenandoah River?" Hotch asked as he pointed at the map.

"There must be some other way off the mountain if you head down the road past the bridge, but it looks like that's the only junction," Reid pointed out as he looked at the map, too.

"We need to block their escape route," Morgan injected.

Hotch looked around at the people surrounding them.

"A tractor trailer would come in really handy right now," Will suggested.

"Sure it would; I have one in my back pocket," Rossi told him dryly.

"There's a couple parked down the street," Tom told them with a grin. "We could borrow them for a little while."

Hotch considered him. He knew they were talking about stealing the rigs, and for a second the agent in him wanted to ask them if they were crazy, but the husband and father in him won over. "Can you drive one?" He asked Tom quickly.

Tom smiled. "Yep. Smiley can drive the other. I swear we won't get a scratch on them."

"If something does happen to them, I'll buy them new ones," Cam told them seriously.

Morgan and Rossi shot him a look. They knew Kahlan had money, apparently Cam did, too.

Hotch thought for a second. "JJ, you and Will and his guys go with them. Set up a road block. I don't care how you have to do it, but to not let them get across that bridge!"

JJ grabbed Will's hand and they took off with Tom towards the vehicles. Will's buddies took off after them.

Hotch looked at everyone else. "We need to go and meet up on the other side of that bridge before they block it off."

"I know the perfect place. Follow me!" Chuck yelled and took off running to his Jeep. Everyone ran to their vehicles and within minutes, the parking lot that had been full of people was as deserted as it had been the previous week.

XXX

A light drizzle started to fall as soon as Hotch had everyone split up and they had moved out to their assigned duties. Hotch and Rossi followed Chuck through the woods. "How come every time we have to creep through the woods lately, does it have to rain?" Hotch asked Rossi quietly.

Rossi chuckled. "What, feeling as miserable on the outside as you are on the inside?"

Hotch huffed. "Finding Bowman will go a long way in making me less miserable."

Rossi patted him on the back and sped up to keep up with Chuck.

As they came over a ridge, Hotch finally saw the lodge. He squatted down beside Chuck, and he also saw about ten people milling about in the yard lights, but he knew there were probably more in and around the building. He took a deep breath and waited for everyone else in his group to join them.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Hotch watched and waited for the rest of his group to join them. Rossi took his group and headed out and around the lodge to set up on the other side. Hotch had the OS with him because he wanted to keep an eye on them. He also knew Chuck would make sure they didn't do anything foolish. He watched the lodge through night vision binoculars and ground his teeth when he saw that Daniels was still there. He wanted Daniels so bad that hands ached to get around the man's throat, but Morgan's group was in charge of that part of the plan; Hotch and his team were in charge of getting Bowman. He sighed deeply and then scanned the rest of the lodge to see if he could see the doctor.

"There, in the east side, far window, second floor," Chuck told him.

Hotch panned over to the window, and sure enough, Bowman was there. He looked to be getting ready to go to bed. "Good, at least we knew where he'll be for when we figure out a way in there," Hotch told him as he searched the rest of the lodge.

Damian drew his pistol and stood up to go towards the lodge.

Hotch quickly grabbed the back of his shirt to pull him back as if he were grabbing a child about ready to go out into a busy street. "What the hell are you doing?" Hotch asked him as he pushed him back onto the ground beside Chuck.

"Going to get Bowman," Damian told him in a tone that told Hotch it should have been obvious.

"You can't just go running in there. . ."

"Why not?" Damian asked him as he looked at his team mates.

Hotch shut his eyes and shook his head slowly.

"Because you can't," Chuck told him. _He's young and stupid; we have to cut him some slack._

"Let me put this into terms you might understand. . ." Hotch started. Damian was about to say something, but he thought better of it. "Let's say you're the Rebellion."

"Alright," Damian told him.

"And you have Bowman with you, and you know the enemy wants to get their hands on him badly; but you know that if they do, he can ruin everything you've worked so hard to accomplish."

Damian started to nod.

"What would you do if the enemy came charging in?"

Damian smirked. "I'd kill him, so they couldn't get their hands on him."

Hotch nodded. "Exactly," he told him as he looked back towards the lodge.

Chuck smiled at Damian and nodded towards Hotch, but Hotch couldn't see it. Damian returned the smile and moved to watch the lodge beside Hotch. _So you know what you're doing, too. Now I understand why Kay likes you. _"What would you have us do, then?"

Hotch took a deep breath as he studied the building through the binoculars again. He finally lowered them and looked at Sai. "Can you get up on that balcony?"

"May I?" Sai asked as he reached for the binoculars. Hotch handed them to him and waited as Sai studied the building. He handed them back with a grin. "Not a problem."

Hotch looked at the others. "Can you all get up there, too?"

"No," Sam told him quickly. "Sai's the only parkour guy we have."

Hotch looked back to the lodge as he nodded. He had no clue what 'parkour' was, but with the 'no' in the beginning, he didn't need to.

Sai looked around and then looked at his teammates. "Think you all could handle climbing a tree?"

"Of course," Bee told him.

"Tree?" Hotch asked him quickly.

Sai pointed towards the lodge. "I could secure a zip line to the lodge up on the balcony, and you all could come across from that tree."

Hotch ran a hand over his mouth and chin as he considered it. He shot a look to Chuck.

Chuck hid a grin and licked his lips. "You don't want all of us to enter the house, though, right? You'd want a couple of us to stay out here and cover the return."

"I'll volunteer for that. I really don't want to have to climb a tree," Jules told Hotch. "But I will if I have too," she quickly added.

"You get up there, but don't enter until you here from Morgan and Rossi's teams. When everyone's ready, get in there, get him, and get the hell out," Hotch told Chuck and Damian seriously. "No screwing around! No. . ."

"We know, Hotch. We need him out and alive," Chuck told him as he put his hand on Hotch's shoulder.

Hotch nodded. "Go," he told them. Chuck gave his shoulder a squeeze and they left Hotch and Jules to keep cover.

Sai took off for the lodge and the rest of them took off for the tree. Hotch watched their progress through the binoculars. Sai shimmied up the drain spout as easily as if he were climbing stairs and then used a small crossbow to shoot a cord across to the tree. After securing the cord to the tree, Chuck went across first and then Damian started across. When he was halfway there, a man started across the ground under him. Hotch tensed in case the alarm was raised, but Damian stopped himself and pulled his legs up. The man walking under him had no clue as to what was happening six feet above him.

Hotch released the breath he was holding as the man rounded the building and Damian continued to the balcony. Bee made it across without issue, but two more people came around the building before Sam could get started. The man and woman stopped in the shadow of the lodge and proceeded to make out. Hotch shook his head. _Really? _He watched Sai and Chuck move to the rail and before he could figure out what they were doing, the man crumpled to the ground. The shock on the woman's face was almost comical, but she followed her lover to the ground within seconds. Hotch looked back towards the tree expecting Sam to go across to the balcony, but Sam ran out from the tree line to the fallen people. _What the hell?_ He watched in wonder as Chuck lowered a rope to Sam who hooked it under the unconscious man's arms, and then Chuck and Sai pulled the man up to the balcony. Within moments, the woman joined him in a pile and Sam ran back to the tree.

"They don't want the bodies to be discovered," Jules told him with a grin.

Hotch shook his head as he smiled at their proficiency.

Rossi signaled that he and his team were ready as Sam landed on the balcony, and Chuck signaled they were also ready.

After about two minutes, Morgan signaled he was ready.

Hotch took one last look around with the binoculars. _Please let this work,_ he prayed and gave everyone the signal to go.

The sky lit up with muzzle flashes as the silence of the night was ripped apart with the sounds of gunfire. People were running everywhere and Hotch tried hard to concentrate on his team and Bowman.

Suddenly a man with an automatic gun came running around the lodge firing into the tree line the whole time. _Jesus Christ!_ Hotch quickly pushed Jules down as bullets hit into the trees around them. Jules rolled over, took aim, and the man went down with one shot as Hotch took aim at another man running up behind them. He also went down with one shot. Jules smiled at Hotch and turned her attention back towards the lodge. Hotch kept on eye on the trees behind them.

Suddenly Hotch felt someone come up behind him, and he turned with his pistol aimed. "Whoa!" Chuck yelled as he quickly pushed Hotch's arms into the air so the pistol's barrel was aimed at the sky.

"Jesus Christ, Chuck!" Hotch yelled as soon as he realized who it was. Damian joined them within seconds.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you!" Chuck told him sheepishly.

Hotch shook his head and before he could ask about Bowman, he saw Sam running up with Bowman in a fireman's carry and Bee and Sai bringing up the rear. Hotch noticed they were all carrying several bags. _Bowman's stuff; good job!_

"He didn't want to come quietly," Damian told Hotch quickly when he saw his look of concern. "Chuck drugged him," he added quickly.

Hotch nodded and looked back to Chuck. "Get him to Cameron. He'll take him to Walter Reed. Make sure he cooperates fully," Hotch told him.

Chuck nodded and understood Hotch's look and tone to mean 'do whatever it takes to get the answers needed!' "What are you going to do?" Chuck asked Hotch as a small explosion on the other side of the lodge made them all duck instinctively.

"I've got to make sure things get wrapped up here," Hotch told him as he prepared to join the rest of his team.

"They can take him to Cam. I'm staying with you," Chuck told him quickly.

Hotch fixed him with a look. "No. I want you with Bowman."

"They are perfectly capable of. . ."

"Charles!" Hotch yelled.

Chuck knew Hotch wanted someone he knew and trusted to go with Bowman, but he wanted to protect Hotch.

"You can trust us, Agent Hotchner." Sai told him seriously.

"They're heading into the trees along the north side of the lodge," came Mack's voice over the com link.

They all started to look towards the trees. "Don't follow them!" Hotch told them all through the com link. He didn't want anyone on his side to get lost in the dark woods. He also knew that the Rebellion could easily pick them off if they tried to pursue them.

Chuck studied the trees for another second and then turned back toward Hotch. "Either you go with us, or I'm staying with you! They can take him to Cam, and Cam can make sure they don't run into anything. . ."

Hotch locked eyes with him. He didn't want to send Damian to Kahlan alone, but he could tell Chuck wouldn't leave him. He finally turned to Damian and Sam. "Go. Make sure. . ."

"We will," Damian told him.

Chuck went to Bowman and put something into his back pocket and then keyed the com link. "Cam. Bowman's blue. Squad's got him. Keep them away from danger."

"Got it," Cam told him.

Chuck nodded to Damian and the squad took off, keeping Sam in the middle of them.

"What does that mean?" Hotch asked Chuck quickly as soon as the squad disappeared into the trees.

"I put a locator on Bowman. It shows up blue in the thermal, so Cam can keep track of them. He can warn them when anyone else is around them."

Hotch raised his brows in surprise. "You all still scare me sometimes," Hotch told him with a grin and then turned to go help the rest of his team.

Chuck followed Hotch around the lodge and his breath hitched in his chest when he saw a red dot on the back of Hotch's head. "Down!" He yelled as he launched and tackled Hotch to the ground as a bullet splintered the side of the lodge Hotch was crouched in front of.

Hotch looked up at the hole and then to Chuck who was still lying on top of him. Another shot hit the ground beside them, and Chuck jumped up and pulled Hotch back around the corner of the lodge as another shot hit the corner of the lodge. Once Chuck knew they were safe, he shook his head as he helped Hotch up.

"Thanks," Hotch told him as he brushed himself off.

"And now you know why I wanted to stay with you," Chuck told him seriously as he went to peak around the corner of the lodge. He got his head back just in time as another shot hit the lodge. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled and then keyed the link. "Hamp, we've got a sniper keeping us penned behind the lodge on the east side."

"K. Give me a few to move," Hamp, one of guys Chuck had called in, answered.

"He's a sniper, and he has a night vision scope," Chuck told Hotch. Hotch nodded as he kept an eye on the woods behind him.

"We've got Daniels," Morgan's voice told them over the com link.

Hotch reached up to key his link when the red of a laser sight flashed in his eyes. "Down!" He yelled to Chuck as he dove to the ground.

Chuck turned in time to see a bullet rip into the side of the lodge where Hotch had been standing. Chuck keyed his mic. "Move it, Hamp! He's targeted Hotch!" Chuck yelled as he helped Hotch up and started pushing him away from that corner of the house. Automatic fire erupted as the shooter tried to trace Hotch and Chuck's escape. Chuck shielded Hotch with his own body as the shots got closer. "God, Damn it! Hamp! Yo. . ."

Chuck was cut short as Hotch felt him slam into his back, and they both fell to the ground. _No!_ Hotch wanted to scream, but he didn't move because he heard someone running up to them. He couldn't see anything in the dark, and he didn't hear or feel Chuck breathing. _My God, no!_

"I think I got him!" A man's voice said from way too close.

Hotch had his pistol in his hand, but he couldn't get his arm out from under him without moving too much. He held his breath as he heard someone else run up.

"Daniels promised ten thousand to whoever got him. I hate you," the second voiced joked.

Hotch then knew that Daniels had indeed targeted him and probably his team, too, and it pissed him off even more. He also immediately felt guilty for Chuck getting hurt. _I should have stayed away. Chuck was right. God, damn it!_

Suddenly Hotch heard one of the men drop. "What the. . ." Was all that the other man could say before he, too, dropped to the ground. He landed close to Hotch, and Hotch saw dead eyes staring back at him. He held his breath as he heard someone else running up. He wasn't sure who it was, so he had no idea whose side the person was on.

"Hotch?" Rossi yelled as he came around the lodge in a run.

"Over here!" the first man yelled as he pulled Chuck off of Hotch. Hotch turned over and looked into the smiling face of Hamp. He finally released the breath he was holding, and he immediately went to Chuck.

"Hotch?" Rossi asked quickly. It was only one word, but it asked many different questions.

"I'm fine," Hotch told him as he rolled Chuck over so he could look at his back. He knew he must have been hit in the back with the way he fell into him and the way he was protecting him. He ripped his shirt opened at the massive bullet hole, and almost collapsed in relief when he saw the slug buried in Kevlar vest. "Thank God!" he exclaimed and rolled Chuck back over. Chuck smiled at him, and Hotch knew that he had been pretending to be out. "You stupid son of a. . ." Hotch told him as he hit him in gut.

"Owww!" Chuck yelled and then started laughing.

Hotch got up roughly. "I thought you were hit!" Hotch told him in a pissed off tone.

"I was," Chuck told him as Rossi helped him up. "It's nice to know you care," he told him with another big smile.

"Shut up!" Hotch told him and headed back the way they were previously trying to go. "I ought to shoot you myself for making me think you were hurt," he told him as Chuck caught up him. Rossi had to hide a laugh as he caught up, too.

"Took you long enough," Chuck told Hamp as he fell into step with them.

"You're welcome," Hamp told him with a smile.

XXX

By the time everything was over, the lodge raid left the Rebellion nine men down and twelve more had been captured. Hotch went around to check on everyone; they hadn't lost anyone and only two were wounded insignificantly. He also checked on Cameron. He was on his way to Walter Reed with Bowman, Sai, and Jules. The rest of the OS made their way back to the lodge, and Hotch was a little relieved to find out that Damian hadn't gone to the hospital. He had also heard from JJ. Her team had blocked the escape routes, and when the convoy of Rebellion members showed up, Will and his guys swarmed in. One man was brave enough to go against the cops, but he died quickly. Everyone else gave up without a fight, and Tom loaded all of the prisoners into one of the semis and headed back to Luray, with a couple of Will's buddies to keep guard, to wait for proper transportation back to Quantico. The other semi was returned without incident, and the rest of JJ's team made their way to the lodge.

Hotch took off his vest and prepared to go face Daniels. Chuck took off his shirt and then his vest. Hotch winced at the massive bruise under Chuck's right shoulder blade. With a closer look, Hotch also saw several scars. He realized that he had never seen Chuck without a shirt before. _And now I know why._ Hotch walked up to him as Chuck pulled a t-shirt over his head. Hotch put his hand on his shoulder. "How are you doing?"

Chuck moved his right arm around. "It's nothing," he told him quickly with a smile.

"I guess, I owe you a thank you."

"Nah. You just owe me," Chuck told him with a sly grin.

"Great," Hotch told him sarcastically and headed into the room where Daniels was being held. Chuck quickly followed him.

Daniels stood up and smiled when Hotch walked through the door. Morgan grabbed his arm; Daniels hands were cuffed behind him.

"Well, well, well, looks like the big, bad, Agent Hotchner has finally accomplished something."

Hotch studied him.

"How's the wife doing? Last report I read said she wasn't doing too well," Daniels started and he noticed Hotch's hands balled into fists. "Who do you think will die first, huh? Will it be your daughter or that psycho bitch you call a wife?"

"You son of a bitch!" Hotch yelled as he lunged for him. Chuck and Rossi grabbed him and held him back. Daniels laughed as Hotch fought against them.

"Not here, Hotch. There are too many people," Chuck whispered into his ear. Hotch noticed that Chuck and Rossi were almost as mad as he was.

"Get him out of here!" Rossi yelled to Morgan as he continued to hold Hotch back.

"Even though they have Bowman. The damage has already been done! They never save them!" Daniels yelled as Morgan and Sam pulled him out of the room and out of the building.

Rossi looked at Mack. "Tell Morgan to get him to Quantico!"

Mack nodded and ran out after the men.

Hotch finally stopped struggling so Chuck and Rossi let him go, but they didn't move away from him in case he tried to go after Daniels again.

"Don't believe that, Hotch! They will get what they need from Bowman, and they will save them!" Chuck told him.

Hotch's looked told him that he wasn't so sure.

**XXXXX**

Kahlan coughed a few times as she made her way into Joey's room. She sat down in the chair next to her daughter and tried to catch her breath. The short distance had taken all of her strength, and she knew she was in trouble.

**XXXXX**

"Come on, let's get the hell out of here," Rossi told him as he put his arm around Hotch's shoulder and started him toward the door. Hotch took a deep breath and let himself be steered.

**XXXXX**

Kahlan reached up weakly and took Joey's hand. "I'm sorry, Pumpkin," she started as tears fell unhindered down her cheeks. "Mommy tried," she started again but had to stop as she coughed some more.

**XXXXX**

Rossi walked with Hotch toward the steps and then let him go to turn around and say something to Reid.

**XXXXX**

The tissue in Kahlan'a hand was covered in blood. With disgust, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "I love. . . you, Pumpkin."

**XXXXX**

Hotch took the first step and then grabbed the rail as he felt himself get light headed. He shook his head and then took another step.

**XXXXX**

Kahlan stood up, braced herself on the bed, and leaned down and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. "I. . ." She took a ragged breath. "I. . ." and she collapsed to the floor.

**XXXXX**

Rossi turned back just in time to see Hotch fall down the last three steps. "Hotch!" Rossi yelled as he ran to him. His first thought was that they had missed someone outside and Hotch had been shot.

Chuck got to Hotch first, though, and quickly searched his body as he apparently thought the same thing. "Hotch!" he yelled as realized that he hadn't been shot.

Rossi came up beside him and kneeled down next to Hotch. "Aaron?" He quickly grabbed Hotch's hand as Hotch's eyes fluttered open. "What happened?"

Hotch looked around as if surprised to find himself on the ground with Chuck and Rossi kneeling over him. "I don't know."

"Are you hurt?" Chuck asked him.

"I don't think so; I just got really light headed and. . ." He stopped as a look of horror spread on his face. He looked at Rossi as his eyes watered. _Oh God! No!_

Rossi instantly knew what had happened, and he was almost as afraid as Hotch was.

Hotch had never told anyone else about the strange connection he shared with Kahlan because he never fully understood it, so he didn't think anyone else would be able to. He swallowed hard and tried to get up on his own, but Chuck jumped up and pulled him into a standing position. Hotch noticed the concern on Chuck's face and licked his lips nervously.

"You want me to call and check?" Rossi asked him.

Before Hotch could answer, his phone vibrated. He shot Rossi a look and pulled his phone out of his pocket with an unsteady hand. His breath hitched in his chest when he saw that it was Dr. Hamill.

** Sorry, but this will be my last update for a few days. Unfortunately, my vacation is over and I must head home, and it will take me a couple days to get there. Once I get everything settled back in, though, I promise daily updates like before I went on vacation.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Hotch took a deep breath and answered what he thought would be one of the worst phone calls in his life. "Hotchner." _She's not dead! I would know if she had died! Wouldn't I?_

"Agent Hotchner, this is. . ."

"Dr. Hamill. Yes, I know."

"I am really sorry to call you. I know you must be very busy. . ."

"Just tell me," Hotch cut her off. He couldn't stand the not knowing and Hamill's tone was scaring the shit out of him.

"It's your wife, Agent Hotchner. She's. . ."

"She's what?" Hotch tried to hurry her. He wanted to scream, but years of training allowed him to keep his tone even.

"I think you need to come, Agent Hotchner."

"Why?" Hotch asked weakly. "She's. . ."

Rossi moved closer to him and put his hand supportively on his back.

"She's not doing well. I don't. . . She. . ." Hamill paused and took a deep breath as Hotch lost his ability to breathe. "You need to come," she repeated.

The phone fell out of Hotch's hand as he stared blankly into the trees. Rossi quickly picked it up and moved away from Hotch. "Dr. Hamill, this is Agent Rossi. . ."

"What?" Chuck asked desperately. "Hotch?" He stepped closer to him and grabbed his shoulders. "What?" He asked again more forcibly.

Hotch finally snapped out of it, and he looked at Chuck with eyes full of tears.

"She's not. . . Tell me she's not dead!" Chuck demanded. Hotch shook his head, and Chuck calmed down a little. "Alright, then. . . Breathe, Hotch," he told him as he locked eyes with him. Hotch finally took a shuddering breath. "What happened?" Hotch closed his eyes and pulled away from him.

"Morgan!" Rossi yelled as he put Hotch's phone in his pocket and quickly discussed what was going on with Morgan.

"Go," Morgan told him and sent a hopeful look to Hotch.

Hotch didn't see it, though, he had a hand covering most of his face as he tried to get a handle on his emotions.

"Come on," Rossi told him as he went up to him and put his arm around Hotch's waist and steered him toward the vehicles.

"I'll drive," Chuck told him quickly. His Jeep was one of the few vehicles that had been brought up to the lodge. "Mine's faster."

Rossi gave him a nod. "Where are your keys?" He asked Hotch.

Hotch reached into his pocket and put them in Rossi's hand. They jingled and everyone could tell Hotch was shaking a little. Rossi threw the keys to Mack. Mack caught them and gave Rossi a small smile.

"Dave," JJ called out. He nodded at what wasn't said and put Hotch in Chuck's back seat.

Chuck jumped in and started it as Rossi climbed in beside Hotch. Dirt flew as Chuck pealed out and disappeared into the night.

XXX

Hotch spent the ride with his elbow resting on the arm rest on the door, his eyes closed, and his fingers resting on the bridge of his nose and forehead. A thousand things were running through his head. Hamill was worried that Kahlan was running out of time, and that made Hotch think of all the things he had always wanted to do and say to the woman he had come to love more than life itself. _No! We cannot be out of time! I still need to. . ._ A tear fell down his cheek. _We still want to. . . I need to. . ._ Another tear fell and he shook his head slightly. _Please, God! Please don't take her from me! If you have to take someone, take me! It's my fault! Take me, damn it!_

Rossi silently watched Hotch. His heart was aching for him. _Please, God, please don't let her die. I don't think he could handle it! He can't lose her! They've been through enough already!_

Chuck stole glances at Hotch through the rearview as he sped down the road. His stomach had tightened into a knot. _Damn it, Kay! If you die, I swear I will resurrect you, so I can kill you myself!_

XXX

"Oh no," Chuck exclaimed quietly as he pulled into the hospital's parking lot.

Hotch looked up quickly and his heart sank even further. "Why are CIndi and Donna here?" He asked desperately when he saw their cars.

"Aren't those Helena's and Sandi's, too?" Chuck asked him weakly as he pointed to the adjacent lane.

"Oh God," Hotch said as he grabbed the handle. It had only taken them one hour and fifteen minutes to travel the normally two hour trip, but he knew a lot could happen in an hour when dealing with what they were dealing with.

"This doesn't mean anything!" Rossi told him quickly as he got out and caught up with Hotch. Chuck hurried up and caught up with them, too.

"Hamill wouldn't have called them unless. . ." Hotch couldn't finish as he felt his chest tighten to the point he thought his heart would bust. He quickened his stride and Rossi and Chuck almost had to run to keep up with him.

When Hotch opened the door to the Infectious Disease wing, his heart stopped. Cindi was surrounded by her other daughters and they were all crying. "No," Hotch exclaimed as his bottom lip trembled and the sting of tears pricked his eyes.

Donna turned to him as soon as she heard him. "Oh, Aaron!" she yelled and ran up and pulled him into a hug.

He shook his head violently. "NO!" he yelled as he pulled away from her. He locked eyes with his mother-in-law. "Cindi?" He asked as the tears finally won and fell down his cheeks in streams.

"No," she told him quickly as soon as she realized what he thought. "Not, yet."

_YET?! OH GOD, NO!_ He shot Rossi a look.

Donna saw the look on Chuck's face and pulled him into a hug.

"What's happened?" Rossi quickly asked Cindi as he went to her and grabbed one her hands in his.

"Dr. Hamill called me and told me I should come up," she started as she wiped her face with a tissue. "I called the girls," she looked at Hotch. "Jessica's with the boys." Hotch nodded and she looked back to Rossi. "We went in. . ." she started crying again and Hotch's stomach twisted. "She won't wake up, Dave. My baby. . ." Dave pulled her into a hug and looked over her shoulder to Hotch. He was torn between comforting the woman he had come to love and the man he had always loved like a son. He gave her a tight squeeze and then passed her off to Helena and turned to Sandi. "Where's Hamill?"

Sandi swallowed back her tears and looked down the hall towards the rooms that housed her sister and niece. "She's was in with Kahlan."

Rossi squeezed her shoulder and went to Hotch. "Come on, Aaron," he told him as he pulled Hotch down the hall.

Chuck pulled away from Donna and ran to catch up with Rossi and Hotch. They opened the door to the control room and found Donald sitting behind a bank of monitors. He stood up quickly. "Dr. Hamill is in the lab," he told them and left the room in a rush to go get her. Hotch looked at the monitors. Kahlan was lying in the bed. She had an oxygen mask on and he could see how badly she was struggling to breathe. He swallowed hard and looked at the monitor for Joey's room. He didn't think anything had changed in her condition. He wiped his tears away and let his work face slowly overtake his features as he prepared to face Hamill.

The door opened and Hamill came in quickly followed by Cam. Cam shot Hotch a worried look and then shot a look to Chuck. "Agent Hotchner," Hamill started and then licked her lips. "Dr. Bowman has turned out to be a great help. . . well, after Mr. Stillman, or is it agent?" she asked with a look to Cam.

"Anyway," Rossi injected. He was worried Hotch was going to strangle her to get the information he desperately needed, even if he didn't want it.

"Right. I'm sorry. Anyway, after Stillman and his friends convinced Bowman to help, he gave us the information we needed to address the specific strands of the diseases. He also let us know that it is not contagious. One had to come in contact with the powder directly to have been infected."

"That's great," Hotch started. "What about Kahlan?"

"Of course, I'm sorry. . ."

"Just tell me how she's doing," Hotch told her calmly. Everyone who knew him, knew he was anything but calm on the inside.

Hamill took a deep breath and glanced at the monitor to Kahlan's room. "She's not doing well. She. . . Her lungs are. . ." She shook her head. "Her oxygen level is extremely low and that is making her heart work really hard. The hemorrhagic fever is also taking its toll and her organs are starting to shut down. She's extremely dehydrated and she has a high fever. The main thing is that she's not responding to anyone. Even her family has tried to get her to respond. She's not in a coma," she added quickly at Hotch's look. "Had we known how bad she was, we might have had a chance. . ."

"You're saying that there's no chance?" Rossi asked quickly as he glanced at Hotch. Hotch had frozen on the spot.

"There's always a chance. What we have learned from Bowman will help, but it will not magically reverse the damage that has been done. She knew that. That's why she was so adamant about slowing down the progress with the coma, cooling them down, and then giving her blood. She tried everything she could to buy them the time they needed until we found a way to stop the progression of the powder."

Rossi looked at the monitors. Six of them were on, but he only cared about two of them at that moment. "So she saved them, but damned herself?" He asked her.

"But you have the information. You have Bowman. She's still alive!" Chuck yelled.

Hamill flinched at his anger. "We will be able to kill the mutated disease and stop it from doing any other damage, but. . ."

"Bullshit!" Chuck yelled. "We found him! Now you're supposed to do your part and save her!"

"Chuck," Cam started and went to his longtime friend. "Come on, it's not Dr. Hamill's fault."

Chuck looked at him as his eyes watered. "But she's not supposed to go out like this!"

"Do you want to go in and see her?" Cam asked him as his own eyes watered.

Chuck got a look of horror on his face. "What?" He licked his lips and ran a hand through his hair. "No," he told him as he shook his head. "I. . ." he looked around. "I need to go. . ." he ran a hand through his hair again. "I told Vinnie I'd be home today." He started nodding. "Yeah. I need to go home and check on Vinnie."

"It's alright, Chuck," Cam told him as he took him by the shoulders. They could tell Chuck couldn't handle seeing Kahlan the way she was.

Chuck teared up again and looked at Hotch. "She knows I love her, right? I don't. . ." his tears started falling. "I can't tell her goodbye."

"And you won't need to!" Hotch told him with enough anger on his face and in his eyes that Chuck swallowed hard. Hotch looked at Hamill and she took a step back. "She's not contagious?" Hotch asked her and the anger made his tone harsher than he had meant.

"No," Hamill told him quickly.

Hotch took a step towards Kahlan's room, but then stopped and turned back to the surprised looks on everyone's faces. "She will not die!" He told them forcibly and went to Kahlan's room without another word.

Rossi watched him disappear behind the closed door. _If anyone can get through to her, it's him._

Hotch stood in front of the door and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a second and willed himself to calm down. His hands relaxed from being balled into fists, and they shook as his anger turned into worry. He felt his resolve start to wane as he looked at his wife. She was hooked up to several monitors and he could hear her struggling to breath. He ran a hand down his face and slowly walked up to her.

Jenny was dabbing her forehead with a damp cloth. She gave him a small smile as replaced the oxygen mask with an oxygen tube to her nose in case he did get her to wake up and then she backed away to let him have some privacy.

Hotch gave her a nod of thanks and pulled a stool up and sat down beside the bed. He picked up her hand and he could feel the heat of the fever. He squeezed her hand as he brushed a few strands hairs out of her face. "Kahlan," he started and felt the sting of tears threatening again. "Come on, Babe, wake up." Hotch urged her. She didn't move. "Babe?" Hotch asked again as he squeezed her hand a little harder. After he still didn't get a response, he stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I love you," he whispered in her ear as a tear fell and hit her face. He reached up and wiped it away with his free hand as he sat down again. Her face scrunched up a little. "Kahlan?" he asked excitedly. Her brow furrowed. "Come on, Babe. You need to wake up."

A faint smile formed on her lips. "Aaron?"

Hotch's heart hurt with how weak she sounded. "Yeah, Babe. I'm here." He swallowed hard. "You need to open your eyes."

"I'm tired," she breathed hoarsely.

A lump started to form in his throat. "I know, Babe, but I'm really selfish, and I really need you to wake up." She winced as she swallowed, and he knew her throat was hurting. "Please, Babe. I need to see those beautiful blues," he pleaded as he squeezed her hand again. Her eyes fluttered open slightly a few times. "No, that doesn't count. I need you to look at me." The way his chest was hurting, he was starting to have almost as much trouble breathing as she was. "Please, Kahlan? For me?"

She finally opened her eyes and blinked a few times as she looked at the ceiling. As she turned her head to the side, her eyes traced to his face. "Hey, Hun," she told him with a small smile.

"Hey, Babe," he told her with his own smile.

She looked around and finally remembered where she was. Her smile instantly turned into a look of fear as she pulled her hand away from him and scooted as far away from him as she could. "Oh my God, Aaron. . . What are. . . Get out of here!" She demanded as her breathing quickened and became more labored.

"No!" Hotch said quickly as soon as he realized what had upset her. "It's ok! You're not contagious!"

She looked around the room quickly. "Are you. . . sure?" She asked as she struggled to breathe.

"Yes! See, even the nurse is in here," he told her quickly as he pointed to Jenny as she checked on a few things on the monitors hooked up to Kahlan. Hotch winced as he realized Kahlan's heart rate and blood pressure had risen drastically. "Calm down, Kahlan. It's fine," he assured her.

"You are not contagious, Mrs. Hotchner," Jenny told her as she put a supportive hand on her shoulder.

Kahlan nodded and sank back into the bed. Hotch grabbed her hand again and relaxed a little as her heart rate started to go back down.

"Jesus. . . Christ, Aaron!" She started and then took a couple breaths. "Are you. . . trying to. . . cause me to. . . have a heart attack?" She asked him with a smile.

"Sorry, Babe. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I thought. . . you had done. . . something stupid."

"Me? I've never done any stupid," he tried to joke, but his insides started to twist as he saw exactly how bad his wife was.

"Ok. . . not stupid. . ." she gave him another weak smile. "But. . . maybe crazy."

He smiled, too. "Now, crazy, is something I would do for you."

She shook her head. "No. Not that. . . crazy. The kids. . . need you." Then another thought hit her. "Joey?" she asked desperately.

"No! She's still stable. What you did helped," he assured her.

"The others?"

He nodded. "They're stable, too."

"Good."

"We got Bowman. They're already working on killing this thing."

She smiled as she nodded. "I knew. . . you would. At least. . . they had the time. . . they needed." She looked at the ceiling. "Then it. . . was worth it."

He bit his lip. He had wanted to yell and scream at her for putting herself at risk, for making him hurt so much, but he couldn't find it in his heart to be mad at her with the shape she was in. All he felt right then, was a horrible, aching guilt. "I'm so sorry. I should have been home with you all more. I could have. . ."

"Would of. . . could of. . . should ofs." She took a struggling breath. "Don't regret. . . the time we've. . . had, Aaron. I don't."

"I don't, it's just. . ." he shook his head violently. "If you had never met me, then you. . ."

"I wouldn't trade. . . another fifty years without you. . . for the five I've. . . had with you." She swallowed hard and winced in pain. "You not only. . . gave me my son. . . back, Aaron," she paused to breathe. "You gave me my life. . . You gave me. . . a part of myself. . . that I didn't. . . even know was missing." Her lip trembled. "I didn't know. . . I was incomplete. . . until you loved me. . . and completed me. . . in a way that I. . . didn't even think. . . was possible."

"I should have been a better husband. You deserve someone who. . ."

"I didn't even. . . deserve someone like you. . . You are the prefect. . . man, Aaron." She put her hand on the side of his face. "The prefect father. . . The perfect. . ."

"No I'm not! I should have protected you! I. . ." He half yelled as tears escaped his eyes.

"You're not only. . . Joey's knight. . . in shining armor, Aaron. . . You're mine, too." She wiped one of his tears away with her thumb. "You came riding. . . in and saved me." Tears started to trickle down her cheeks, too. "You're not only. . . my life, . . you are my love. . . and my best friend. . . I couldn't have asked. . . for a better partner."

He looked at her as his lip trembled and her hand fell back to her side. "You're a part of me, too, and I don't want to live without you," he told her weakly.

She reached out and gently took his hand. "Don't say that. . . The kids need you."

"They need you, too," he told her through his tears as he squeezed her hand. "Should I bring the boys up?" He asked her even though he was sure she would say no.

She shook her head strongly. "No! I do not. . . want them to see. . . me like this."

He wasn't sure if he agreed with her or not. He knew both of the boys would be furious if something happened to her and they were not able to say goodbye, but he refused to let himself believe that she was not going to make it.

"If Wyatt still. . . wants to go in the service. . . when he's able. . ." She coughed and winced. "I think he. . . still needs to go. . . to college," she breathed hard. "But not. . . the ROTC, you know. . . how my dad. . . felt about that."

He nodded as he remembered what she had said about her dad and his time in the Army. "I know. Officer Candidate School makes better officers."

"Or West Point. . . That would be nice." She smiled as she imagined it. "You know a couple. . . Congressmen that would. . . give him an appointment. . . don't you?"

"If that's where he wants to go, then he'll go," he assured her.

"And I know Jack. . . wants to go. . . into the Academy," she paused to cough again. "But I think. . . he needs to. . . go to college, too."

"He will."

"But he doesn't have. . . to be a lawyer. . . like you." She took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "Maybe psychology. . . or criminal justice," she looked at him again. "Something that. . . will help him. . . at the BAU. . . cause that's. . . where he'll end up."

He smiled, but his heart was breaking even more to think that they were discussing the kids' futures as if she wouldn't be there. It finally got to be too much and he put his head down on her side and cried. "You promised me," he finally muttered through his sobs.

"What?" She asked as she stroked his hair.

He lifted his head and looked at her through his tears. "You promised me we would grow old together, and Hotchner's don't break their promises."

"I'm trying, Aaron. . . I really am," she told him as he put his head back down. She continued to stroke his hair, and after a few minutes, she cleared her throat. "Don't count. . . me out yet, though. . .You know. . . I'm not a quitter."

He sniffled and finally sat back up. "You're the strongest person I have ever met." He wiped his face. "You're not allowed to leave me. I forbid it," he told her as his voice became stronger.

"Yes, sir."

"That's right."

"Wait. I thought. . . I was the boss," she joked and then coughed.

"Only when I let you be," he told her with a smile.

"Oh. Is that. . . how that works?"

"Yep," he told her with a smile big enough to show his dimples.

She reached up and terraced his right dimple with her fingers. "Give me. . . a kiss."

He stood up and gently kissed her on the lips. "I love you," he told her as he locked eyes with her and then sat down again.

"I love. . . you, too. See. . . I feel. . . better already," she told him with a grin.

"Well, if that's all you need to get better," he started and stood up and gave her another kiss.

She started to laugh and then ended up in a coughing fit. His heart screamed as he noticed blood on the corner of her mouth. Suddenly her hand went limp in his and she stopped coughing. "Kahlan?!" Hotch asked desperately.

Jenny came over quickly and checked her. "She's lost consciousness again, that's all," she told him sadly. "She needs the mask back on now," she told him as she prepared the oxygen mask.

Hotch bit his lip and nodded his understanding. He leaned down and gently kissed her on the cheek. _This is not goodbye, Babe! You will get better!_ He stood up and quickly left the room with tears streaming down his face.

Rossi pulled him into a hug as soon as he made it through the door. Everyone else had left the room to allow the couple their privacy, but he had watched the whole scene unfold on the monitors, and he had tears streaming down his face as well. "I know. I know," Rossi repeated as he rubbed circles on Hotch's back to try and calm him down. After a few moments, he felt Hotch's breathing even out a little more. "Come on, Aaron. She will beat this," Rossi told him firmly.

Hotch nodded against his shoulder weakly, sniffled, and wiped his face. He finally pulled away and stood up straighter. "I know."

Rossi gave him a smile and led him out of the room.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Hotch went into the hall, everyone had calmed down drastically, and he knew someone had told them that Kahlan had woken up. He took a deep breath and prepared to face his wife's family. Donna got to him first. "I knew if anyone could get her to wake up, it'd be you," she told him with a small smile.

He returned the smile. "She's a fighter," he told her seriously.

She studied his face. "Is she going to make it?"

"Yes."

She searched him to see if he truly believed what he had said. She relaxed a little when she realized he did. "Then we don't need to be here, do we?"

"I think you should take your mother home."

She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Tell her we love her," she told him with a smile and went to gather her sisters and mother and ushered them down the hall.

Rossi joined Cindi as she gave Hotch a small smile as they went out the door. He nodded to her and they were gone. He took a deep breath and turned to Cam. "Exactly what did you have to do to convince Bowman to help?"

Cam smiled. "He was adamant that Daniels promised to only use the powder on FBI agents," he started and then lost his smile. "I showed him Joey."

Hotch closed his eyes as he thought of his daughter lying helpless in a bed down the hall. "It worked apparently," Hotch told him quietly as he looked at him again.

Cam nodded. "It did."

Hotch studied him and knew Cam wasn't telling him the whole story. "What else did you do?"

Cam looked the floor and Hotch thought he looked a little embarrassed. "I might have threatened him with his own powder," he told him sheepishly.

Hotch smiled. "Kahlan rubbing off on you?" Cam huffed. "Or maybe Chuck?"

Cam shook his head. "It worked, that's all that mattered."

Hotch looked around. "Where is Chuck?"

"He took off as soon as you went in to see Kay. He doesn't do well in hospitals."

Hotch studied him some more. "You two were with her when she had the plague, weren't you?"

Cam gave him a look of surprise. "Yes," is all he offered.

Hotch appraised him with raised brows. "You're not going to tell me about it are you?" Cam smiled and turned to walk away from him. "Cameron?"

Cam started whistling as he walked to the door and disappeared behind it. Hotch shook his head. He turned around when he heard a door open behind him. "Agent Hotchner," Jenny started. "She's awake again."

Hotch gave her a smile as he quickly went past her to Kahlan's room. He smiled as his eyes met hers as he got through the door. "Hey, you," he told her as he walked over to her and went to grab her hand. He stopped, though, went he saw that it had turned black and blue. His smile faltered when he realized that the simple act of squeezing her hand earlier had wounded her. "My God, Babe. I am so sorry," he told her as his eyes threatened tears.

"What?" she asked him not sure what he was apologizing for. She reached out for him to grab her hand.

He grabbed it gently as he realized she didn't even notice the bruise. "You scared me earlier," he told her as he got closer to her.

"I'm sorry."

"In fact, you've managed to scare your entire family."

"Oh, God. . . did they. . . call Mom?"

"Yeah, and she called your sisters because she couldn't get you to wake up."

"I didn't. . . even realize they. . . were here." Kahlan shook her head slowly. "Mom has. . . always been. . . a little dramatic."

Hotch chuckled. "They calmed down when you woke up for me, though."

She smiled. "I felt you. . . before I. . . heard you."

He smiled. He had never even discussed his connection to her with her, and it made him feel good to think that she shared the connection. "I glad you did, but being awake is just the beginning. You have to talk to Hamill so they know exactly how to treat you. They can help you if you let them."

She swallowed. "Right. . . now I. . . could use. . . a drink."

He searched the room for something he could give her, but he didn't find anything. "I'll get you some water," he told her as he stood up to go to the bathroom. He grabbed a cup out of the holder, filled it, and took it back to her. "Here," he told her as he held it to her lips and helped support her head as she took a drink.

After she swallowed a few times, she scrunched her face up and waved the cup away. "I could. . . use a. . . beer," she told him with a grin.

"Maybe I could talk them into hooking it up to your IV," he joked as he gestured to the IV providing her with much needed fluids to help fight her dehydration.

"You. . . could just take. . . me to. . . the closest bar."

"As soon as you're strong enough to actually sit on the stool," he assured her. He lost his smile and fixed her with a look. "How are doing?"

She closed her eyes and took as deep of a breath as she could. A grin formed on her face and she looked at him again. "I've. . . felt better."

He shook his head. "I'm serious, Babe."

"Then go. . . get Hamill. . . I'll talk. . . to her when. . . you leave."

"Leave? I'm not leaving Kahlan," he told her as he pulled the chair closer with his foot and sat down.

"Don't you. . . have an. . . unsub to catch?"

He grinned. "Nope. He's already been caught," he told her proudly.

She raised her brows in surprise. "You got. . . the bastard. . . in. . ."

"Yes," he assured her as soon as he realized she was asking about the leader of the Rebellion.

She nodded and gave him a proud smile. "I knew. . . you would."

His phone vibrated, but he ignored it. "You want to talk to Hamill now?" His phone vibrated again and he reached into his pocket and silenced it.

"You need. . . to answer. . . that."

He shook his head. "It's not important."

"How do you. . . know when you . . . haven't even. . . looked at it?"

"Because nothing is more important than this," he told her as he brought her hand up and kissed it.

"Aaron," she started and even in her weakened state, he could hear her motherly tone. "Answer. . . your phone."

"No," he told her defiantly. "I don't need to talk to anyone except you. Why can't you talk to Hamill with me here?" _Are you still trying to hide something from me?_ His looked asked her.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "It could be. . . something important."

"Then I guess they will have to talk Morgan or Dave. You didn't answer the question."

"Well. . . if work doesn't. . . need you. . . You need to. . . go home. You. . . need the rest. . . and to check on. . . the boys."

He squinted his eyes at her. _I hate it when you use home against me!_ He looked at the window and realized the sun was already up. "The boys are at practice," he told her with a smile, thinking he had gotten out of it.

"When. . . was the last. . . time you. . . slept?"

"I can take a nap right here," he told her as he scooted closer and rested his arm and head on the bed beside her. He looked up at her and grinned.

"You win," she told him and ran her hand through his hair. She laid her head back and closed her eyes.

He sat up. "But you have to talk to Hamill first," he pleaded. He knew she was tired, and with the shape she was in, he understood it; but he knew she had to talk to the doctor for them to truly help her. "Please, Babe." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "I'll wait in the hall if I have to. I just need to know that they are helping you, and for them to do that, you need to be honest with them." She furrowed her brows and he knew she was about to try to get out of it. "Please, do it for me." He hated the whole 'if you love me you would' thing that couples always used against each other, but he was running out of options. He if had to, he'd bring up the kids next.

"Alright, Aaron."

"Now?" he asked her with a smile.

The door opened behind him and they both looked to see who it was. Dave stepped into the room nervously. Hotch stood up and looked at him questioningly. He glanced at Hotch and then went to Kahlan. "Hey, Kiddo," he told her with a smile as he went up to her and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. As he did, he handed Hotch his phone.

Hotch looked at it: 'You need to talk to Morgan,' was on the screen. Hotch felt his stomach tighten. _God! What now?_ He slid the phone in his pocket. He knew it must have been important for Dave to come in.

"Hey, Dave," Kahlan told him with a small smile.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I just had to see you for myself," he told her with a grin. "And I promised your mother that I'd give you kiss from her, too," he told and leaned down to give her another kiss.

She smiled. "I hope. . ." she paused to cough. "Did you. . . get her. . . to go home?"

"Yeah, Donna took her."

Hotch bit his lip. He was torn between wanting to stay with his wife and needing to see what was going on. "I'll go get Hamill," he told her and left the room.

"What's going. . . on?" She asked Dave as she fixed him with a look.

"What do you mean?" He asked innocently.

"Really?" She covered a cough. "I. . . may be sick. . . but I can. . . still see."

Dave sighed deeply. "Morgan needs him back at work."

She nodded. "He doesn't. . . have to stay."

"He just wants to. . ."

"I know. . . but I don't. . . want him to."

Dave studied her for a moment. He was worried that she was trying to get rid of Hotch because she knew she wasn't going to make it. "Kahlan," he started.

"Take him. . . he has. . . a job to do!"

"I think he's more worried about you than he is his job right now," Dave told her truthfully.

"I know. . . and he. . . shouldn't be!"

"He has every right to be worried, Kiddo," he told her as put his hand on the side of her face. He studied her eyes and his heart sank as he noticed the whites of her eyes starting to turn yellow. "We're all worried," he told her tenderly.

She looked away from his face. "You're not. . . the only ones."

His heart sank even further. To know she was worried about not making it made him worry even more. He grabbed her chin gently and made her look at him. "You need to talk to Hamill. They can help."

A devilish grin spread on her face. "Promise me. . . that you will. . . take Aaron away. . . and I. . . promise to. . . talk to. . . Hamill."

"And be completely honest with her?"

"Yes."

He bit his lip as he considered it. "Deal." He didn't know what Morgan wanted, but he knew that even if work didn't need Hotch, that he could get him to go home even if he had to use the kids against him.

She nodded and closed her eyes as she rested her head against the pillow.

The door opened and in walked Hotch and Hamill. Hamill had a smile on her face, but Dave could tell Hotch was upset about something. Dave nodded toward the hall and Hotch nodded his understanding. He went up to Kahlan. "I'll let you talk to the doctor," he told her as he grabbed her hand. "I'll be in the hall."

She could tell something had upset him, too. She shot Dave a quick look, and Dave nodded. "Alright," she told him as he leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear.

She smiled and reached up and put her hand on the side of his face. "I love. . . you, more." He smiled. "Always. . . remember that."

His heart skipped a beat as he locked eyes with her. "I will," he told her with a forced smile. His mind flashed back to the day she left him to go after Mordecai. She had said the same thing then, and he was pretty sure she had said it because she thought she wasn't going to make it back. _No!_ He wanted to yell. He licked his lips and leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, stood up, and left the room. Dave followed him out of the door.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

"What's Morgan want?" Rossi asked Hotch as soon as they were in the hallway.

Hotch took a deep breath. "He wants me back at the BAU."

"We should go see what's going on," he told him quickly, knowing that it was a perfectly good reason to get Hotch away from the hospital.

Hotch looked at the door to Kahlan's room and then back to Rossi. "She wants you to get me out of here, doesn't she?"

Rossi looked him in the eyes. "I made a deal with her," he told him honestly.

Hotch's shoulders slumped. "Really, Dave?"

"I didn't think she was going to honest with the doc, so I made her promise."

"And the only way she would is if you got me to leave?"

Rossi nodded. "I'm sorry, Aaron, but if it gets her the help she needs. . ."

"Then let's go," Hotch told him and headed down the hall.

Rossi's brows furrowed as he watched him, but he ran to catch up with him. _That was way too easy!_ "Hotch?" Hotch ignored him as he headed through the hospital and headed to the exit. Before he could push the door open, Rossi grabbed his arm. "Aaron?"

Hotch took a shaky breath as he looked at the floor. When he brought his head up to finally look at Rossi, he had unshed tears in his eyes. "She doesn't want me here because she's afraid she isn't going to make it."

"I'm so sorry," Rossi told him tenderly.

Hotch then knew that Rossi thought the same thing. "Why? Why can't she. . . Why does she. . ." He shook his head.

"She wants to protect you."

"Am I so weak that she thinks I can't handle it?"

"No!" Rossi told him sternly.

"Then what?"

"I don't think she likes being weak in front of you."

"But when she's weak, I'm strong and vice versa. That's the way we work."

"I know, Aaron."

Hotch shook his head and then went out the door. He squinted in the bright sun and wished he had his sunglasses. His shoulders slumped again as he realized that he and Rossi had ridden with Chuck to the hospital and Chuck was gone. He shook his head.

"What now?" Rossi asked him.

"How are we supposed to get to the BAU?"

Rossi looked around quickly. "Oh. I forgot we didn't have a car," he told him as he reached for his phone and then realized Hotch still had it. He sighed deeply. "Maybe we both need to get some sleep. You have my phone."

"Oh, shit. Sorry," he told him and took it out of his pocket and handed it to him. Before Rossi could open his contact list, Cam pulled up in front of them.

"Well, you two look a little lost," he told them with a smile.

"Shut up and drive," Hotch told him as he got in the passenger seat. Rossi got in the back and gave him a smile.

"BAU?" Cam asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Yep," Hotch told him and he took one more look back at the hospital.

"Here," Cam told Hotch as he handed him a small electronic tablet.

Hotch took it warily. "What's this?"

"A tablet," Cam told him with a smile.

"I know that, smart ass. Why do I want it?"

"Unlock the screen," Cam told him with another smile. Rossi scooted forward in his seat so he could look over Hotch's shoulder. Hotch pushed the button and the tablet's screen came to life. "I thought that might help." Hotch smiled as he looked at his wife talking with Hamill. "I hacked into their system when they were in the lab."

"This is live?"

"Yep."

Rossi squeezed Hotch's shoulder and relaxed back against the seat.

"Will it work anywhere?" Cam nodded. "Thanks, Cam," Hotch told him as he continued to watch Kahlan.

"Sorry there isn't any sound, but their system is kind of old. Had I a little more time, I could have switched a few things out for you," he told him sincerely.

"No, this is great."

"If you touch that little screen on the bottom, it'll switch to Joey's room."

Hotch chuckled. "Of course it does."

XXX

As soon as Hotch walked through the glass doors, Morgan walked up to him. "Hotch, man, I am sorry to have called you away from Kahlan."

Hotch could tell Morgan was agitated. "What happened?"

"I don't think Daniels is our guy."

"What?" Rossi and Cam asked at the same time.

"Come on," Morgan told them and led them to the conference room.

Chuck and Garcia were the only two in there, and Hotch figured the rest of the team was home getting some much needed sleep. Chuck shot a questioning look to Cam. Cam gave him a smile and a nod, and Chuck relaxed considerably.

"Bring it up, Baby Girl," Morgan said.

Garcia typed on her laptop and the interrogation room came up on the plasma. They all watched a recording of Morgan questioning Daniels. "He does hesitate a little too much with his answers," Rossi agreed.

"He knows plenty; it's just a feeling," Morgan started and then shook his head. "I don't know. That's why I wanted your all's opinion," he told them as he ran a hand over his head.

"One way to find out for sure," Hotch told them as he got up. They all stood up, too.

"You gonna talk to him?" Chuck asked him quickly. He didn't want Hotch to be subjected to Daniels' comments again.

Hotch ran a hand over his mouth and chin as he thought about it. He grinned as he looked at Morgan.

"What?" Morgan asked him warily.

Hotch then turned the same grin on Garcia. She cut her eyes to Cameron, and he took a protective step towards her.

XXX

Hotch and Rossi were discussing a file as they stood beside on of the desks in the bullpen when Morgan brought Daniels through to take him to lock up. "How's the wife Hotchner?" Daniels asked him loudly as he pulled Morgan to a stop.

Hotch looked up from the file in his hand and fixed the man with his stare.

"How dare you!" Garcia yelled as she ascended on Daniels in a flurry of color. Daniels took a step back as he took in the tech. She waved a feathered pen in his face. "How dare you turn an innocent movie into something horrible!" He looked at her questioningly. "Trekkies everywhere are in an uproar over you using the Empire's symbol for your delusional campaign! You are not a true Trekkie!" She told him harshly.

"Yes I am! I wanted to use a symbol people would know!" Daniels yelled back at her.

Morgan nodded to Garcia. She huffed and left the bullpen. Hotch bit his lip. _God, damn it!_ They all knew that Daniels was not the self-named 'Han' and leader of the Rebellion. "Get him out of here!" Hotch told Morgan.

"What? You're not going to question me, Hotchner? Too afraid of me?"

"Why would I waste my time on some low level lieutenant when I'm hunting for the general?" Hotch asked him.

The look of shock on Daniels' face was almost priceless. "You don't know anything!" He pulled away from Morgan. "You're a dead man, Hotchner! You think the lodge was the only meeting place? I have so many more men! You'll be dead before the end of the week!" Morgan grabbed him again and started to wrestle him out of the bullpen. "You might even beat your wife to hell!" He shook his head. "Nah, last I heard, she's pretty much on death's door already."

Rossi could tell Daniels was upsetting Hotch. "Somebody shut him up!"

"With pleasure," Chuck said as he cracked his knuckles as he got up from the desk he was sitting in and started towards Daniels. Before he could take two steps, Daniels crumpled to the floor. Cam stood over him with a smile on his face. Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan all stood opened mouth as they realized who had silenced the man.

"What did you do to him?" Morgan asked him as he bent down and checked Daniels for a pulse.

"Vulcan neck pinch," Cam told him awkwardly.

"You know how to do that shit, too?" Rossi asked him flabbergasted.

Cam shrugged and Chuck laughed as he clapped Cam on the back. "Just because you all assumed I was never a field agent, doesn't make it so," Cam told them simply.

Hotch shook his head slowly. "Jesus Christ. Are we ever going to know everything about you all?"

"No," Cam and Chuck both said at the same time.

Hotch huffed. "Well, now you get to carry him out of here," Hotch told them and went to his office.

Chuck looked at Morgan. "Where's Sam when you need him?"

Morgan laughed and went to grab Daniels' feet. Chuck grabbed his arms and they took him to the elevator as Rossi joined Hotch in his office. Garcia quickly went to Hotch's office, too. "How'd I do?"

Rossi smiled and gave her a hug. "You were perfect, Kitten."

Hotch gave her a smile. "Kahlan would have been impressed."

She beamed at the compliment. "It's definitely not him, though, isn't it?"

Hotch sat down in his roughly. "I wouldn't think so. It seems like whoever is in charge of it all is a true Star Wars fan."

"And a true fan would have gotten just as pissed as Kahlan when you called him a Trekkie," Rossi added.

"Yeah, he didn't get the whole Empire thing either. I don't think he knows anything about Star Wars," Garcia told them. With their looks, she explained, "I called it the Empire's symbol, but it's the Rebellion's symbol." She smiled. "Never mind," she told them as she shook her head and went out to her husband.

"Think she's knows what Cam can do?" Rossi mused as they watched Cam hug her for a job well done.

"I have no idea," Hotch told him honestly. "She's better off not knowing," he added with a grin.

XXX

"So what now?" Morgan asked Rossi when he finally got back from taking Daniels to be locked up with the other terrorists.

"I guess we. . ." they were headed to Hotch's office, but he stopped when he noticed Hotch. Hotch had his elbow on his desk, and his head was resting on his hand. Rossi was almost positive Hotch was asleep, so he steered Morgan away from Hotch's office and to his own.

"Was he asleep?" Morgan asked him with surprise.

"He hasn't had a decent night's sleep since those damn invitations went out," Rossi told him a little roughly.

"I didn't mean it like that. I was just surprised to actually see it. Take him home. I wouldn't have called him if it wasn't important," defended himself.

"Sorry. I know. We had to find out. . ."

"You need to get some sleep, too. Go. There's nothing we can do about finding the real leader at this second anyway. Once everyone else gets back in we'll start looking at everything again. Maybe we'll find something we missed."

Rossi looked at the younger man, and he could tell he hadn't gotten much sleep lately either. "You know what? I say we all go home and not meet back up until tomorrow morning. Send Garcia home, too. We could all use a break."

Morgan nodded. "Alright. I'll tell the team and Baby Girl and she can take Cameron." He looked around. "I have no idea where Chuck went."

"I'll call him," Rossi told him as he headed back to Hotch's office. "Nine in the morning?"

Morgan smiled and nodded and headed to Garcia's lair.

Rossi walked in through Hotch's door. "Hotch?" he asked quietly. Hotch didn't move. He smiled and went up and put his hand on his shoulder. "Aaron?"

Hotch jumped as if he'd been shot. "What?" He looked around quickly. "Shit! I'm sorry!"

"Come on. I'm taking you home."

Hotch rubbed a hand down his face. "No. I'm fine. We have to. . ."

"Go home. You need a break."

"No. I need to figure out. . ."

"And you're not going to do that if you can't even keep your eyes open."

"I didn't mean to. I just. . ."

"Can't keep your eyes open. Come on, Aaron. You need some sleep. I've sent everyone else home, too. No one has had enough sleep lately. We can meet back up tomorrow and look at everything again with fresh eyes."

Hotch finally conceded and nodded. "Then, I'll go see Kahlan."

"Not until you go home and get some sleep. You can go back up and see her this evening."

"No. I need to be there. . ."

"No you don't. I promised her that I'd get you out of there. She can see how exhausted you are."

"And you did get me to leave. You didn't promise that you'd keep me away."

Rossi grabbed the tablet off Hotch's desk and turned it on. "See, she's resting," he told him as he handed it to Hotch. "And you need to do the same."

Hotch looked at the image. Kahlan looked to be asleep, and he could see a few more IV bags hung on the poll. He smiled mentally because he knew she must have talked with Hamill like she had promised.

"Don't make me get Cam in here and do whatever he did to Daniels. If we have to carry your ass out of here to get you home and get some sleep, we will," Rossi told him with authority as he crossed his arms.

Hotch looked at him, and he actually thought Rossi might do as he had threatened. His shoulders slumped. "Alright," Hotch told him as he passed him and left his office.

"That's a good boy," Rossi told him as he patted him on the back.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Rossi pulled up to Hotch's house and smiled when he realized Jessica had gotten the boys out. He had texted her and said he was bringing Hotch and he didn't want Hotch to have to face the boys until after he had some sleep. Jessica had agreed, like he knew she would. He had also texted Chuck to let him know where they were going. Chuck didn't say what he was doing, but he told Rossi to text him once Hotch was awake. Rossi agreed and wondered what the man was up to.

Hotch unlocked the door to find the dogs waiting. Sampson looked outside and whined when he realized Kahlan was not with him. "Sorry, Buddy," Hotch told him and he sulked back into the house. Hotch shook his head as he watched him leave. Goliath was happy to see anyone, and Rossi rubbed his head affectionately.

Rossi went straight to the kitchen. Kahlan had told him about her special tea before, and he put a pot of water on so Hotch could have a cup before he laid down.

Hotch followed him and eyed the pot warily. "What are you doing?"

Rossi gave him an innocent look. "What? Can't a guy make a cup of tea?"

Hotch sighed deeply. _Maybe it will help me sleep._ "Make me one, too."

Rossi grinned. "Coming right up."

"I'm going to go take a shower," Hotch told him and headed upstairs.

"Take a long, hot one!" Rossi yelled after him.

XXX

Hotch stretched as he woke up. He smiled when he realized he had slept for seven hours. He could hear the boys downstairs, and he sighed. He knew they'd ask about their mother. He grabbed the tablet off the nightstand and checked on his wife. She looked to be sleeping, and he couldn't be sure, but he thought she was smiling under the oxygen mask. _You better be dreaming about me, Babe._

He got up, got dressed, and headed down stairs.

"Hey, Dad," Jack told him as he went up and hugged him. "You sleep well?"

"Yeah, I actually did," he told him as Wyatt got up and hugged him, too.

"How's Mom?" Wyatt asked.

Hotch looked at his boys. He suddenly realized that he didn't know if they knew she was sick or not. Jessica handed him a cup of coffee. "Let the man wake up first," she told the boys when she sensed his hesitation.

They looked at her knowingly and went downstairs. Hotch joined Rossi at the table. "You get any sleep?"

Rossi smiled. "Like a baby. I got up about twenty minutes ago."

Hotch nodded and took a drink of the coffee. He turned to Jessica. "What do they know?"

Jessica sat down beside him. "I'm not sure. They knew something was wrong when Donna called me over and headed out last night, but I didn't have any information to give them."

Hotch suddenly looked horrified. "I'm sorry, I should have cal. . ."

"Dave called me with an update first thing this morning, but the boys don't know it."

Rossi smiled as he took a drink from his cup.

Hotch nodded. "I guess if I just leave off the whole scene from last night, and they should be alright."

"Are you going to tell them how sick she really is?" Jessica asked him quietly.

"They have a right to know, but I'll try to play it down as much as I can," Hotch told her truthfully.

"They'd figure it out anyway," Rossi injected and Hotch nodded.

XXX

Hotch got ready to leave to go see Kahlan after he talked with the boys. They were worried, but Hotch insisted that Kahlan would make it. They had studied him and believed him, so they told him to tell her they loved her and let him go without a bunch of questions.

He ran a hand though his hair to try and get it lay right. He smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror. Kahlan liked his hair a little longer, but that made his cowlicks even more stubborn. He also didn't shave because he knew Kahlan liked him with a little scruff. _I'll shave in the morning._ He sighed deeply. _You will come home, Babe._ He took one last look at himself and then headed down stairs.

Chuck was at the table with Rossi. Hotch eyed him warily. "Chuck," he said as he joined them at the table.

Chuck smiled. "I brought you something," he told him as he used his foot to slide a bag over to Hotch.

Hotch looked at the bag, but didn't move to grab it. "What is it?" He asked and shot Rossi a look. Rossi shrugged to let him know he had no idea.

Chuck gave him a sly grin. "What? Don't trust me?"

Hotch furrowed his brows at him, sighed, and then picked up the bag. His brows furrowed even more as he tried to figure out what was in it. With another look to Rossi, he pulled out the contents. He raised it up in his hands. "Not really make style," he told Chuck with a grin as he looked at it. It looked like a t-shirt, but Hotch knew it wasn't.

Rossi quickly reached out and felt it. He whistled and then fixed Chuck with a look. "Is that what I think it is?"

Hotch laid it on the table. "What is it?"

"I could only get my hands on one. Sorry," Chuck told Rossi.

"How did you even get one?" Rossi asked him in awe.

"Would one of you please tell me what it is?" Hotch demanded quietly; the boys and Jessica were already in bed.

Chuck smiled widely. "That, Hotch, is the latest development in bulletproof material," he told him proudly.

Hotch picked it back up. He pushed his fingers into the almost cloth like material. "No way this would stop a slug."

Rossi grabbed it from him. "No, seriously. It's a combination of layers of polymers and glass fibers. Last I heard, though, is that Rice University still had it in the developmental stages, and it wouldn't be ready for another year or so." Hotch gave him a shocked look; he knew Rossi always stayed on top of new weapons and such, so he was impressed if Rossi was.

Chuck smiled again. "I think their research was hacked," is all he offered Rossi and then turned to Hotch again. "I've seen it stop a fifty caliber at point blank range," he told him seriously.

Hotch raised his brows in surprise and inspected the material a little more closely. After a few seconds, he looked at Rossi. "And how much would something like this cost?"

Rossi pursed his lips as he considered it. "On the private market?" he started and then looked at Chuck. "I wouldn't even want to consider it."

Chuck shrugged. "They aren't even for sale anywhere yet. That is one of the first actually made into a shirt."

"No," Hotch told Chuck simply and slid it across the table to him.

"But I pulled some strings. . ."

"Then you keep it."

"But I got it for you!"

"And I don't need it. My vest is perfectly capable. . ."

"But you heard Daniels! He could have. . ."

"I don't believe that any more than I believe that he's the leader."

"What about what happened at the lodge? You heard what that guy said!"

"What?" Rossi asked quickly.

"Nothing," Hotch told him quickly and shot Chuck a look.

"Charles?" Rossi demanded as he fixed Chuck with a look.

Hotch looked at him pleadingly, but Chuck turned to Rossi, and Hotch sank back into his chair. "The guy that tried to kill Hotch said that Daniels promised ten thousand to whoever got him first."

Rossi turned to Hotch, and Hotch could see the fear and anger in his eyes. "And you didn't think that was something we should have been told?!"

"Keep it down! You'll wake the boys," Hotch told him.

"Don't change the subject!" Rossi told him sternly but quietly.

"Thanks, Chuck," Hotch told him and got up to refill his mug.

Rossi shook his head as he watched him walk away.

"After what that guy said, and after what Daniels said, well, now you know why I think he should wear it," Chuck told him as he, too, looked after Hotch.

"And now Daniels is locked up and can't pay anyone. . ." Hotch started as soon as he came back into the room.

"But they might not know that! Ten thousand is a lot of money to those damn rednecks!" Chuck argued.

"I'll be fine," Hotch started as he sat down.

"You don't know that!" Chuck countered. "They probably want to take you out because they know you'll figure out who the leader is." He turned to Rossi. "No offense."

"None taken; and I agree with him," Rossi told Hotch.

"I am not going to. . ."

"You owe me!" Chuck told him with an evil grin.

That made Hotch pause, because he did. "That just shows that you should be the one wearing it," Hotch told him matter-of -factly.

Chuck smiled. "Fine. Then I will just have to be stuck to you like glue so I can protect you."

Rossi covered a smile with his mug because he knew Chuck had Hotch right where he wanted him.

Hotch studied Chuck's face and knew he was completely serious. He sighed in defeat and grabbed the shirt.

"I knew you'd see it my way," Chuck told him with a smile.

Rossi laughed.

"Shut up, Dave!" Hotch told him as he got up to go see Kahlan.

"You should put it on now," Chuck told him as he got up, too.

"I'm just going to see Kahlan for an hour or so," Hotch told him and then turned to him. "You going?"

Chuck lost his smile. "No," he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm good. I'll just see you all at the BAU in the morning."

Hotch gave him an understanding look. "You want me to tell her anything for you?"

"Nah," he started for the door. "I. . . she. . ." He shook his head. "I'll see you in the morning," he told them and left.

Hotch shook his head as he stared at the door.

"I've heard of people having an aversion to hospitals, but I think he takes it to an extreme level," Rossi told Hotch as he stepped up beside him.

"What's he going to do when Vinnie goes into labor?" Hotch asked him as he went out his door.

XXX

Hamill was in the control room when Hotch and Rossi walked in; she stood up as soon as she saw them. "We've developed the antiviral and we administering it to them all."

"Thank God," Rossi told her with a smile.

Hotch nodded as he looked to Kahlan's door. "So how is she?"

"We're addressing her symptoms," is all she would say.

Hotch wasn't sure if Kahlan had somehow gotten her not to tell him or if that was truly all she had to report.

"She is resting comfortably, though," she quickly added.

"I won't wake her. I just want to check in on her," Hotch told her.

"With the amount of pain killers she's under, I don't think you could wake her if you tried."

Hotch nodded and went to the door. Rossi squeezed his shoulder as he passed. He took a deep breath and went into the dim room. He walked up and took her hand and sat down. He smiled slightly when he realized her fever had come down. He reached up and moved the hair from her face. He wasn't sure, but he thought she was breathing a little easier, too. Her chest wasn't heaving as much as it was before, but he wasn't sure if she was just relaxed from the drugs. "Hey, Babe. The boys send their love," he told her quietly. He figured she probably couldn't hear him, but talking to her helped him relax.

He stroked her hair. "If you don't hurry up and come home, Sampson is never going to be able to get out of his depression," he told her with a smile.

Her chest and shoulders moved as if she had chuckled.

"Kahlan?" He asked as he got closer.

She turned opened eyes to him and smiled.

"Hey, Babe," he told her excitedly.

She reached up and moved to oxygen mask. "Hey, Hun."

"I didn't mean to wake you. Hamill said you were out from the pain killers."

She chuckled again. "It'll take a. . . whole lot. . . more than that. . . to keep me away. . . from you."

"But you need your rest," he told her tenderly, and she could tell he felt bad for waking her up.

She reached up and rubbed a hand on his scruffy jaw. "I slept. . . when you slept."

He held her hand to his face. "Am I allowed to stay now?"

She studied him. "I only. . . wanted you to. . . get some. . . real sleep." He opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped. "Aaron!"

"What?"

She shook her head. "I don't have. . . any plans of leaving. . . you, but if I did, yours. . . would be the. . . last face I. . . would want to see. . . before I left."

"So you don't want me to stay away?"

"Not as long. . . as you. . . take care of yourself." She smiled. "You looked. . . like you were. . . going to collapse."

"Yeah, well, you don't too hot either," he joked.

"I said looked. . . past tense. . . right now," she smiled slyly as she played with his bangs. "You look hot!"

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You're bad."

She flicked her brows.

"You better behave, or Hamill's going to throw me out."

**XXXXX**

"I thought you said she wouldn't wake up?" Rossi asked Hamill as they watched the couple on the monitor.

Hamill shook her head. "I have never seen anyone under the effects of that much morphine wake up," she told him seriously.

"Morphine?" Rossi asked quickly.

"Yes. The normal pain killers weren't helping. Does she have a problem with pain meds?"

"Not in an abusive way, if that's what you're asking," Rossi quickly defended her.

"No, not like that. I was just wondering if she had a high tolerance for them." She thumbed a stack of files under her hand. "I saw where she has had several different types prescribed to her over the years." Rossi still eyed her warily. "I'm sorry if I offended you, that was not what I meant at all."

**XXXXX**

"How are you feeling, really?"

"I'm better now," she assured him with a smile. He eyed her suspiciously. "I'll be out. . . of here. . . before you know it."

"You better!" he told her seriously and then smiled. "I don't like sleeping alone."

"I'd scoot over,. . . but I don't think. . . there'd be enough. . . room for us both."

He eyed the bed. "Yeah, and it's too short." He noticed her eyes trying to close and he smiled. "You can go back to sleep. I'll leave you alone."

She smiled. "Why don't. . . you go home? . . I'm sure you. . . could use some. . . more sleep, too."

"I thought I was allowed to stay."

"You are. . . but that chair. . . is going to. . . kill you."

"Maybe I want to watch you sleep for a while."

"Well, if I. . . wake up and. . . you're not here. . . I will not. . . be upset." She told him with a smile. "But give me. . . a kiss goodnight first."

He stood up and gently kissed her on the lips. "Goodnight, Babe. I love you."

"Goodnight, Hun,. . . I love you more," she told him with a smile and closed her eyes.

He reached up and put the oxygen mask back on her. _No, I love you more!_


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

After spending about twenty more minutes with Kahlan, Hotch got up and went and checked on his daughter. He moved a book from the chair and sat down beside her and grabbed her hand. The coldness of it made him shudder. "Daddy misses his little Angel," he told her as he stroked her hair. While he had vowed to himself to stay strong for Kahlan, his eyes watered as he looked on the only other female he loved more than life itself. "I'm so sorry, Angel. I haven't told you that yet, but I really am." A tear fell down his cheek. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Fuzzy's doing well," he told her as he wiped his face. "Wyatt and Jack have been feeding him. They say he's fat, but I haven't actually seen him yet. I want to wait until you can show me." He smiled and scooted a little closer. "You might end up with a few more tame ones, though, because Wyatt has been petting some of the others. He didn't think you'd mind."

After spending about thirty more minutes talking to her, he stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Love you, Angel," he told her softly and left.

"I read her a story while you were in with Kahlan," Rossi told him with a smile when Hotch came back into the control room.

Hotch returned the smile and sighed heavily. "I need them to get home."

"I know, Aaron. I know," Rossi told him as he wrapped his arm around Hotch's shoulder and gave him a fatherly squeeze. "How's she doing?" He asked as he nodded toward Kahlan's room.

"Better," he told him with a smile.

"Good," Rossi told him and they headed for the door.

"Agent Hotchner," Mark called as he stood up from behind the control both.

Hotch turned back around and looked at him questioningly.

"Dr. Hamill told me to give this to you," he told him as he walked up and handed Hotch a file that was about three inches thick. "She said that you should take Mrs. Hotchner's medical records home since we're done with them and she didn't want anything to happen to them."

Hotch and Rossi both looked at the stuffed file with well hidden shock. "Thank you," he told Mark and headed back down the hall without another word.

Once they were out of that hallway and on their way through the hospital, Hotch handed the file to Rossi. "Feel how heavy this thing is."

Rossi took it and his hand dropped a little as he laughed. "Damn. That should make for some really interesting reading," he told him as he handed it back to Hotch.

"Really interesting or really scary," Hotch told him.

"You're going to read it, though, right?"

Hotch grinned. "Of course I am."

XXX

Hotch stretched as he woke up. He looked at the clock: 6:21. He still had over two hours before he had to be at the BAU, but he got up and got ready so he could stop and see his girls on the way in. Rossi had gone home after dropping off Hotch, and Hotch knew it was because he wanted to see Cindi. He smiled as he thought about his unofficial father, and he wondered if Dave would actually become his father-in-law. _Or would it be step father-in-law?_ He shook his head and sat up. He grabbed the tablet and checked on his wife. He was surprised to see her awake and sitting up a little, but he took it as a good sign and he felt himself smile. He watched as Kahlan looked around the room and then looked up at the camera. He froze as she smiled. _No way!_ He shook his head as he put the tablet back on his nightstand. _There's no way!_ He went and took a shower still shaking his head.

When he got down to the kitchen, he smiled when he saw a full pot of coffee waiting for him and he realized he had just missed the boys. When he opened the cabinet to get a mug, he found a muffin and an apple on a plate with a note that said, 'You're not allowed to leave until you eat – Donna.' He chuckled as he put the plate on the table and then filled his mug. He sat down and laughed again as he picked up the muffin and took a bite. He was glad Donna had come in and relieved Jessica. Not that there was a reason for Jessica to not be there, but Donna coming back meant that Donna was alright. Sampson walked over to him and put his head on his leg. He rubbed him behind the ears. "Hopefully soon, Buddy," he told him and then gave him a piece of the muffin. Goliath ran in from outside and sat down looking at him expecting a piece of the muffin, too. "What? Did you hear him chewing all the way outside?" His tail swept across the floor several times. Hotch laughed again and threw him a piece; he caught it with ease.

XXX

Kahlan removed the oxygen mask and smiled as soon as Hotch came in the door. "Hey, Hun."

Hotch smiled and went up and gave her a kiss. "Morning, Babe." He glanced at two lights that had been suspended above her bed. Hamill told him that the special lights were supposed to help fight the jaundice that Kahlan had developed because her liver was struggling after the mutated disease had attacked. "Damn, I need my sunglasses," he joked because he didn't want his worry over her getting sicker to show.

She huffed. "You? Try sleeping. . . under them."

"No thanks. I'll take our nice, dark room any day."

She shook her head. "I hate them."

He gave her a sympathetic smile as he sat down and grabbed her hand. "They'll help." She cut her eyes to the side. "You seem a little stronger this morning."

She huffed. "As soon as. . . I'm strong enough. . . to stand. . . I'm outta here."

"Kahlan." She wouldn't look at him, so he reached up and gently grabbed her chin and turned her head so she'd look at him. "You are not leaving until you are better," he told her firmly.

"I'm not. . . contagious," she argued as she looked him in the eyes.

He sighed heavily and let go of her chin. "I need you to get better, and to do that, you have to be here so they can treat you."

"Until I'm better," she agreed.

He gave her a look. "Not your better, my better or Hamill's better."

She gave him a cocky grin and nodded. "Better."

He shook his head at her. "I do have a pair of cuffs. I could cuff you to the bed."

She flicked her brows. "We have yet. . . to try that."

He laughed as he shook his head at her some more. "You are so bad."

"You wanna see. . . how bad?. . . Come here," she told him as she gestured with her head for him to come closer.

"Kahlan! Somebody could be watching!"

"Chicken!"

"And you're sick."

"Not that sick," she told him with a sly grin.

He looked at the camera out of the corner of his eye and stood up to move around her bed so his back was blocking its view. _They don't have sound either, do they?_ "You want a real kiss, huh?"

"Uh-huh," she hummed as she smiled slyly.

He put a hand behind her head and leaned down. His lips met hers in a passionate a kiss. Before he the kiss ended, her hand started into the top of his pants. He grabbed her wrist. "Don't," he whispered but she forced her down into his boxers and caressed his manhood. A moan escaped him as she rubbed him. "Kahlan, you need to sto. . ." His words turned into another moan of pleasure as he lost his ability to think when her fingers found one of the spots she had use on him the night she showed him his pleasure points; goose bumps formed on his legs. "Oh God," he whispered and he felt his manhood growing. His eyes rolled back as he quivered. She leaned in and kissed his neck. His hips slowly thrusted forward into her hand as another moan escaped him. "Alright!. . . St. . stop," he whispered to her but didn't move away from her.

She giggled. "Are you sure?" She asked him quietly as she continued her massage.

After a few more seconds, "no. . . I mean yes," he breathed as he finally found the will to shift away from her grip, and he pulled her hand out of his pants. "You. Are. Mean," he told her as he adjusted himself and then stood up.

She giggled again. "You haven't seen. . . mean yet."

He raised his brows. "Oh really?" She giggled again and ended up coughing several times. She held the coughs in, but he could tell they were painful. "See. I told you."

She grinned and waved her hand to dismiss the thought. "I'm fine," she finally told him.

He shook his head and glanced at his watch. "I better go before you get me in trouble."

She smiled. She knew he was going to work because he had shaved and was wearing a suit. "Go. Stop by and. . . see me on your. . . way home."

"I will," he leaned down and gave her a kiss. He had to grab her hand to stop her from misbehaving again. "I love you," he told her with a smile as he shook his head.

"I love you more," she told him with her own smile which he thought looked a little too devilish.

"No, I love you more," he told her and quickly bent down and covered her mouth with another kiss so she couldn't best him.

When he finally pulled away from her, she shoved him away with another smile. "Get out of here."

XXX

Hotch smiled at Rossi as he pulled up beside him. He got out of his car and waited for Rossi to get out of his so they could walk in together.

"Well, someone's in a good mood this morning," Rossi told him as he returned the smile.

"Kahlan's getting antsy. She wants out of there," Hotch told him as they started walking.

"That's a good sign, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I'm worried she might try to rush. . ." he started but stopped as a vehicle came screeching around the corner of the parking garage.

"What the hell?" Rossi asked as he, too, looked to the vehicle.

As the SUV passed them, the back doors flew open, and the sound of gun fire echoed throughout the garage.

Morgan, who had just reached the elevator, instinctively ducked and drew his pistol. He saw the black SUV peal out of the garage, and when he scanned the garage, his heart sank. Rossi was getting up, but Hotch was lying on the ground on his back. "Hotch!" Morgan yelled and ran to him.

Rossi got to him first. "No! Hotch, come on!" Rossi winced when he saw three bullet holes in the front of Hotch's shirt. "No! God, no!" He grabbed the shirt and ripped it open, buttons flew everywhere. "Oh thank God!" Rossi exclaimed as soon as he saw that Hotch was wearing the shirt Chuck got him.

"Rossi?" Morgan asked as he came skidding to a halt beside him.

"Hotch? Come on!" Rossi urged him to breathe thinking the force of the blasts had knocked the air out of Hotch's lungs.

Morgan quickly felt for a pulse. "It's not beating!" He yelled and started doing CPR.

Rossi held Hotch's hand and watched in horror as Morgan tried to revive him.

The elevator opened and several armed agents came running out. "Call for a bus!" Rossi shouted at them as they came running up. One of the men quickly took out his phone.

"Come on, Man!" Morgan yelled at his boss. He had heard of the shock of a bullet blast stopping a man's heart, but he had never seen it firsthand, and he couldn't remember if the person had been revived or not.

A few minutes later, a medic came running out of the stairwell with a portable defibrillator. He sat it down and quickly charged it. Morgan moved over so the man could reach Hotch better. After feeling for a pulse and getting none, he tried to rip Hotch's undershirt.

"It won't tear!" Rossi told him as he realized what he was trying to do and quickly pushed the material up to Hotch's neck and thanked God that it fit loose enough to be able to do it.

He man nodded his thanks and readied the panels. "Clear!" he yelled and made sure Rossi hadn't grabbed Hotch's hand again. Once he was sure, he shocked Hotch.

Rossi flinched as Hotch's body jerked. _Please God!_

The medic charged the paddles again and checked for a pulse. "Clear!" he yelled again and set the paddles on Hotch's chest again.

Tears escaped Rossi's eyes as he flinched again, but he finally released the breath he'd been holding when Hotch started coughing. _Thank you, God! Thank you, God!_ Rossi kept repeating as he grabbed Hotch's hand again. The medic backed up and let Rossi in. "Hotch?" Rossi asked as they all heard sirens getting closer.

The elevator opened and Cam, Chuck, and Garcia came running out. Garcia had heard the alarm and quickly brought up the garages' cameras. As soon as they realized who was involved, they all took off running. "Oh my God!" Garcia exclaimed as soon as she saw Hotch lying on the ground. Cam pulled her into a hug.

Hotch finally locked eyes with Rossi as he struggled to get his breathing under control. Rossi's eyes were full of relief, but Hotch's were full of fear as he realized what had happened. "He's ok!" Rossi told everyone and Morgan knew he was reassuring himself just as much as he was reassuring them.

"I'm ok," Hotch told them weakly and tried to get up.

Rossi held him down with a hand to his shoulder. He didn't want to touch his chest in case there was damage from the shots, Morgan's compressions, or the paddles. "You stay right there! The ambulance is on the way!"

Hotch nodded and laid his head back on the cement. After a couple breaths he looked around and locked eyes with Chuck. Hotch's eyes conveyed deep gratitude. Chuck nodded to him quickly. Once Hotch looked away, Chuck ran a hand through his hair, shook his head, turned, and walked away.

Hotch's phone vibrated and he reached into his pocket and handed it to Rossi without even looking at it. Rossi's heart sank when he saw it was Hamill. _No!_ Hotch looked at him questioningly. "Reid is going to be a few minutes late," Rossi lied.

Hotch nodded and swallowed hard. "I think. . . I will be, too," he told him with a weak grin.

Rossi shook his head at him and the ambulance pulled up. Morgan and the medic quickly told them what had happened, and Rossi got up to get out of their way.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Rossi walked to the other side of the ambulance and quickly called Hamill. When he didn't get an answer, he got even more worried. He walked back to Hotch as they were helping him out of his tie, ripped shirt, and under 'shirt'. As they got him on the gurney, Rossi walked over to Garcia. He pulled her aside. "I need you to be calm," he started as he gave Garcia a look. She nodded and waited for him to continue. "I need the number for Walter Reed."

Garcia's eyes went wide, but she quickly recovered. "I'll text it to you," she told him and went back to the elevator.

Rossi put Hotch's phone in his pocket and climbed in beside Hotch. He fixed Morgan with a look. "See what you can get from surveillance! Find out who those bastards were!"

Morgan nodded and shut the ambulance door. He hit the door once, and the ambulance pulled out to take Hotch to the nearest hospital to make sure he was alright.

Chuck held the 'shirt' he had given Hotch. He spread it out with his hands and winced at the three slugs still buried in its material. He bit his lip as he felt his anger starting to boil. "They had to have some sort of badge to get in here, didn't they?" He asked Morgan.

"Yeah, and I didn't get to read the plates, but they were definitely government issue." Morgan admitted as they picked up all of Hotch's stuff. "Come on," he told Chuck as he put his hand on his shoulder and they walked toward the elevator.

"Well, it is obvious that Hotch is the target and not the whole team," Cam mused as he joined them. Morgan looked at him questioningly. "They would have aimed for Rossi and you, too," he told him grimly.

"Son of a bitch!" Chuck yelled in frustration.

Morgan nodded as he considered it. "I don't know whether that makes me feel better or worse."

XXX

Hotch's phone vibrated in Rossi's pocket, but he had to ignore it with as close as he was to Hotch. He silently prayed that Kahlan and Joey were alright. He smiled at Hotch and watched as the EMT hooked Hotch up to monitors to check his blood pressure and other vitals. Rossi knew Hotch was ok overall, but he knew that Hotch's heart had stopped along with his breathing, and he wasn't sure if that would have any lasting effects on him. His phone vibrated and he knew that it was Garcia with the number he asked for.

Hotch gave him a small smile to let him that he was ok, but inside he was shaking. He knew that what Daniels had said was true, and he was worried that Chuck's fears were correct. _If they're after me, anyone around me is in danger. God damn it! _He took a shuddering breath._ Oh my God, what if they'd followed me home?_

The medic looked at him worriedly. "Agent Hotchner?" Hotch's heart rate and blood pressure had shot up.

Hotch nodded his head and willed himself to calm down. "I'm fine," he told the young man.

The EMT shot Rossi a look, and Rossi could tell the EMT didn't believe Hotch anymore than Rossi did. Rossi reached out a put a supportive hand on Hotch's arm. "Calm down, Aaron."

Hotch nodded again and closed his eyes as he tried to relax.

XXX

Once the ambulance pulled up to the hospital, Rossi jumped out to let the EMTs get Hotch out. He followed them in. "I'm going to give them whatever info they need," Rossi told Hotch. Hotch nodded and they took him around the corner. Rossi took a deep breath and pulled Hotch's phone out of his pocket. His heart sank a little more as soon as he saw that it was indeed Hamill who had tried to call Hotch again. He took another deep breath as he walked back outside, and pressed the call button.

"Agent Hotchner," Hamill answered.

"Dr. Hamill, this is actually Agent Rossi. Agent Hotchner is detained, and he wanted me to call to see what you needed."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't get him the first time," she started and then took a deep breath. "I don't know how to explain. . . I don't know what went wrong. . ."

_Oh God!_ "Is Kahlan alright?"

Hamill took a deep breath. "She is stable as of right now."

Rossi swallowed hard. "Just tell me what happened."

"Everything was going well. We started her on light therapy for jaundice, but her blood work and everything actually showed improvement. . ."

"So she was basically fine. Then what happened?"

"She started struggling to breathe again, and she started coughing, and then she passed out. She had done that a few times, so we weren't shocked but. . ."

"She didn't just pass out?"

Hamill took a deep breath. "She had actually went into cardiac arrest and respiratory failure."

_Oh my God, no!_ "You said she stable now, though?" Rossi asked her quickly.

"We had to intubate her and hook her up to a ventilator to get her breathing again, and we had to use the EDU twice, but we got her back."

Rossi looked back towards the ER entrance. "And she's ok?" He asked weakly. _If Hotch is ok, then Kahlan's ok!_

"She hasn't woken back up yet. We are running tests, but with as weak as she is and the damage her body has already sustained. . ."

"She's going to ok, right?" Rossi prayed that the answer would be 'yes'.

"I think Agent Hotchner should come." She cleared her throat. "I'm not sure if she'll ever wake back up."

Rossi felt his knees get weak and his chest tighten. _NO! This is not happening! She was fine this morning!_

"Agent Rossi?"

"Agent Hotchner is non-accessible right now, but I will tell him as soon as I can. Are you sure there isn't anything else that you can do? Maybe you could. . ."

"There really isn't anything we can do. It is up to her now, but we're running tests. . ."

"I'll tell him." _How am I going to be able to tell him?_

"Thank you, Agent Rossi. I will call with any changes."

"Thank you, Dr. Hamill," and he ended the call. He closed his eyes and tried get himself under control. _Oh my God! Oh, Aaron, I'm so sorry!_ He shook his head as he slowly walked back inside. He wondered if the gun shots had really caused Hotch's problems, or if he was just feeling what Kahlan was going through. _Or did him getting shot cause her to have problems?_

He walked to the nurses' station and they gave him the paperwork to fill out for Hotch. He had to take a couple deep breaths to get himself calmed down enough that his hands didn't shake. After he filled them out, the nurse told him where to find Hotch, and as he walked back to the little room he felt his hands starting to shake again. _Get a grip, Dave! You need to see how he is doing to make sure he can handle the news!_ He stopped outside the glass door, took a deep breath, and ran a hand down his face. Before he could go in, a doctor came out. "How is he?" Rossi asked quickly as he showed him his badge.

"It looks like the force of the bullets' impact caused him to lose his breath and one of the bullets hit him just right that it stunned his heart. I want to run an EKG to make sure everything is normal with his heart and get a chest x-ray to make sure nothing is broken, but unless they come back abnormal, he should be fine other than some bruising and soreness."

Rossi sighed deeply. "Thank you," Rossi told him.

"I have to say, though, that I have never seen that type of bruising from a vest." He shook his head. "That must have been some vest."

"What do you mean?"

"There isn't hardly any bruising, and with three shots, well, I just expected more."

"Oh," Rossi said as he smiled. "Maybe it was a small caliber," Rossi offered innocently.

The doctor nodded. "I'll get the test ordered," and left to go to his other patients.

Rossi forced a smile and went past the curtain. "Remind me to buy Chuck a beer the next time we're out."

Hotch huffed. "More like several cases."

Rossi went up and took Hotch's hand. "How you feeling?" Hotch nodded but then closed his eyes, bit his lip and shook his head. "Aaron?"

After a few seconds, Hotch finally looked at him. "Jesus, Dave. You could have been hit!"

"Don't worry about me! I want to know how you are!"

"I'm a little sore, but that's all."

"Seriously? You're sure there isn't anything else? Are you having trouble breathing? Is your heart beating alright?" Rossi asked so quickly that Hotch couldn't even answer the first question.

"Damn, Dave. I thought I was the one who had to calm down."

Rossi took a deep breath. "Sorry. You scared me." _I can't tell him until after the tests or he'll never stay to have them run._

Hotch eyed him warily. "I'm fine, but it scares me to think that Chuck could be right. If they are after me. . ."

"And with them being in the garage, it has to be someone else on the inside."

Hotch nodded. "Yes, but I'm more concerned about someone around me getting hit in the cross fire."

"I don't think they even had me in their sites."

"They didn't have a problem hitting Chuck to try and get me."

"So we get you someplace safe where they can't get to you."

"You don't think they would go after Kahlan or the kids, do you?"

"No one has threatened your family, Aaron. Do not go there in that head of yours!"

Hotch pursed his lips. "Too late," he told him weakly.

Rossi put a hand on his shoulder. He knew Hotch was thinking about Demitri and Foyet. "I do not think they would do that, but I'll call and get security set up if it will make you feel better."

"Daniels laughed about Kahlan and Joey dying."

"That's because he knew they were affected by the powder. He did not say anything about someone going after them like he did you, and he didn't mention the boys."

Hotch rubbed a hand across his forehead. "If we get security up around the boys, they'll know and they have enough to worry about already." He took a deep breath. "But if they follow me home. . ."

Rossi wanted to tell him that that would never happen, that they wouldn't be that cruel, but the Rebellion hadn't shown any restraint and had killed kids already. He sighed deeply. "We can keep it at a distance, and not even tell the boys."

Hotch considered his words. "We can't tell Kahlan either. She'll want to protect me herself, and she isn't in the shape. She already wants out of there."

Rossi bit his lip. _Why God? Why do you have to add to his suffering?_ He was about to say something, but a couple of nurses walked in.

"We need to take Agent Hotchner to x-ray," one of them told them with a smile.

Rossi nodded. "I'll get everything set up," he told Hotch and then left the room.

**XXXXX**

"I can't believe they did it here!" Morgan yelled as he slammed a fist down on the conference room table. The whole team was gathered with Chuck and Cam. Cam and Garcia were on laptops and frantically searching for anything that would help them find the shooters.

"This is war. You don't come into our garage and take a shot at our leader! We need to find them! We need to . . ." Mack was just as livid as Morgan.

Reid put a hand on her shoulder. "They will not get away with it," Reid told her calmly, but they were all pissed someone had tried to kill Hotch in their own backyard.

"We could use that to our advantage," Chuck started. They all looked at him. "They didn't see a vest on him. They know they hit him." He paused as he stood up and walked away from the table. "We can put it out there that he didn't make it. . ."

Morgan, JJ, Reid and Garcia all winced at the suggestion. They had already dealt with one death charade and they weren't sure they wanted to consider doing it again.

"They won't come after him again if they think he's dead," Chuck insisted.

JJ looked at Morgan. "He's right. We can keep him hidden until we figure this whole thing out."

"That would be better than him having to keep looking over his shoulder," Reid agreed.

"And someone else getting hurt as collateral damage," Mack stuck in.

Morgan considered it all. His phone vibrated before he could give his thoughts. "You're on speaker, Rossi."

"How's my liege?" Garcia quickly asked before anyone else could say anything.

"They're running a few tests, but I think he's alright," Rossi told her and he could hear all of them relaxing a little.

"No he's not. He died on the way to the hospital," Chuck told him as he walked closer to Morgan's phone.

"What?!"

Chuck proceeded to tell him his idea, and Rossi liked it. "I'm not sure if he'll go for it. That would mean that he'd have to hold out somewhere, and I don't think he'd like not being in the thick of everything."

"We can get him to give us a week. If we can't solve this thing by then, he can be resurrected," Chuck insisted.

"I'll talk to him." Rossi then went on to tell them about Hotch's feelings and the security he had set up. "No one except us can. . ."

"I hate to interrupt, but I have that SUV," Cam cut in.

"What? Where?" Morgan asked quickly.

"Send the squad. We don't want any of them to see you all if Hotch decides to play dead. You all would be too upset to take care of them," Chuck quickly told them.

"Do it, Cam. Make sure they know we need them alive to question," Rossi told him.

"That and Kay will want to have a visit with the asshole who pulled the trigger," Chuck told them with a grin.

"I bet," Morgan said with a chuckle.

Rossi winced and was glad Chuck couldn't see him.

"They're on their way," Cam announced.

"You talk to Hotch, Rossi, and we'll figure out what we can do with him if he agrees," Morgan told him.

"I'll let you know," Rossi told them and then ended the call.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Kahlan's brows furrowed as she tried to swallow. The tube going down her throat prevented it, though, and she started gagging. She had no idea what had happened, but she knew there was something in her mouth so her hands went to her mouth while she still gagged.

"Mrs. Hotchner! Calm down! There is a tube in your throat," Angie told her as she grabbed her hands to stop her from doing any damage to herself.

Kahlan kept gagging, though, and she got her hands away from Angie's grasp. She motioned for her to pull the tube out.

Liz came running into the room. "Hold on, Mrs. Hotchner," Liz told her as she started to pull the tube out.

Once it was out completely, Kahlan turned her head and threw up stomach acid. She fell back into the bed heavily as she tried to get her breathing under control.

"Here, take a drink," Angie told her as she held up a cup with a straw in it to Kahlan's mouth. Liz went out to get Hamill.

Kahlan took several drinks and then nodded to let her know she was done. "What happened?" she asked her hoarsely as she let her head fall back again.

Hamill came in the room in a rush. She couldn't hide her look of shock and surprise. "Oh thank God! Mrs. Hotchner you scared us."

"What happened?" Kahlan asked again as she looked at the two women.

"How are you feeling?" Hamill asked her as she took her stethoscope off her neck.

"Why was that tube. . . shoved down my throat?" Kahlan demanded to know.

"You went into respiratory failure. It was helping you breathe," Hamill started as she leaned down and listened to Kahlan's lungs. "Take a deep breath." Kahlan complied. "Another." She nodded and then moved listen to Kahlan's heart. After a few moments she finally stood back up. "You also went into cardiac arrest. We lost you for a few minutes, Mrs. Hotchner. You gave us quiet a scare."

Kahlan looked at her questioningly. "What brought that on?"

Hamill wasn't sure, but she thought Kahlan sounded frightened, "I'm not sure. How are you feeling?"

Kahlan closed her eyes and took a couple breaths. "My throat hurts the worst,. . . but my head is pounding."

"Your throat is going to sore because of the intubation, and we can get you something your head. How about everything else?"

Kahlan nodded. "Alright."

Hamill gave her a look that said she didn't believe her. "Let me see," she started as she pulled up Kahlan's gown and started pressing on her abdomen. "I'll have Angie call your husband and let him know you're awake."

Kahlan winced a little when Hamill's hands pressed on her liver. "God. You told Aaron?"

"Actually I got Agent Rossi, but he said he was going to tell him. Does that hurt?" She asked as she pushed on her upper intestinal area.

Kahlan shook her head. "What do you mean you. . . got Agent Rossi?"

"I tried your husband's phone twice, but Agent Rossi is the one who called me back. I think your husband was in a meeting or something. You seem to be breathing better."

Kahlan nodded. "He called you back on. . . Aaron's phone?"

"Yes. I want to run some more blood work."

"When was that?"

"About twenty minutes ago, I think. I want to. . ."

"I need my phone," Kahlan started as she searched her bed for it.

"Here it is," Angie told her as she handed it to her from the table beside her.

"We can call him for you. . ."

"No. I need to talk to Agent Rossi. . . privately, please."

Hamill gave her a smile and then looked at Angie. "We'll give you a few minutes."

Kahlan nodded her thanks and texted Dave. 'Have you told him yet?'

'Thank God! Are you alright?'

'I'm fine. Answer the question.'

'No.'

'Please don't. He's already worried enough about me.'

'How are you honestly?'

'No worse for wear. Please, Dave!' When Dave didn't text back immediately, Kahlan started to worry that he wouldn't agree.

'Ok, Kiddo.'

Her head sank back into the pillow in relief. 'Thanks, Dave. I love you.'

'Love you, too. I'll probably see you later. Make sure you tell Hamill and them not to say anything.'

'I will.'

**XXXXX**

Rossi shook his head as he put his phone back into his pocket. _Thank you, God!_ He walked back inside with a smile on his face and breathing a little easier. _Now all I have to do is convince Aaron to die._ He chuckled and went to Hotch's room to see if they had brought him back yet. Chuck was standing outside of the room. He had a bag in his hand. Rossi looked at him questioningly. "They're doing an EKG on him right now," Chuck told him. "Have you asked him yet?"

Rossi shook his head. He couldn't tell Chuck about Kahlan anymore than he could tell Hotch. "They had him down at x-ray."

"Kay's going to be pissed when she finds out."

"He doesn't want her to know."

Chuck shook his head. "What the hell is with them two and them hiding everything? When he found she was hiding being sick, he was livid; but he's going to turn around and do the same thing?"

Rossi mentally winced, because he was helping to hide things, too. "He doesn't want her to try and rush and leave the hospital to try and protect him. She needs to stay and get better."

"I understand the reason. Hell I agree with the assessment, but she didn't want him to know she was sick so he could concentrate on the case." He shook his head in disgust. "They always have their reasons, but yet when the other finds out. . . I just don't get it!"

Rossi raised his brows at him. "This coming from a man who probably has enough secrets to fill a truck?"

"You're not supposed to keep important things from the person you love!"

"You cannot stand there and tell me Vinnie knows everything about you." Chuck pursed his lips and looked down hall. "Is there anyone who knows everything about you?"

He smiled. "Kay does."

"And if she asked you to keep something from Hotch again, you would."

"It depends on what it is. I wasn't supposed to tell him about her being sick, but I did," he told him candidly.

Rossi huffed. "That's just because he caught your word choice mistake."

A nurse came out and they ended the conversation. "Once the doctor gets the results of the tests, he'll be back in to see him," she told them with a warm smile.

Rossi nodded his thanks and they went into Hotch's room. Hotch looked at Chuck questioningly. "I brought you another shirt," Chuck told him with a smile and handed Hotch the bag.

Hotch got up reached into the bag. He pulled out another white dress shirt and the bulletproof shirt that had saved his life earlier.

"You need to put that back on. Until this is over, you need to live in that damn thing!" Chuck insisted.

Hotch held up the armor shirt expecting to see it damaged. He raised his brows when he didn't find any. "Is it still good?" He asked Chuck.

"It heals itself," Rossi injected with a smile.

Hotch's look of surprise brought a smile to Chuck. "It can take a licking and keep on ticking!"

Hotch shook his head, turned away from them, took off the hospital gown, put the armor shirt on, and then put his shirt on over top of it. "It couldn't have been a very big caliber with as little as I hurt," he told them as he turned back to face them buttoning up his shirt.

Chuck reached into his pocket and threw two damaged slugs onto Hotch's bed. "They look like 9mm to me."

Hotch reached down and picked up one of the slugs. He turned it over in his hand and shook his head. "I agree," he told Chuck.

"Where's the third?" Rossi asked.

"I gave it to Morgan to get ballistics on it. The construction of the armor is supposed to help dissipate the shock of the slugs."

"I believe it," Hotch admitted and tucked his shirt in.

"You look pretty good for a dead man," Chuck told him with a smile.

"I know. I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for you, Chuck." He sat down on the bed. "I don't know how I will ever be. . ."

"Shut up, Hotch. That's not what I meant."

Rossi sat beside Hotch. "Chuck thinks we should let it be known that you died." Rossi told him Chuck's plan.

**XXXXX**

"We understand you not wanting your husband to know, but when he sees you, you won't be able to hide it," Liz told Kahlan with a small smile.

Kahlan looked at her questioningly after she looked at herself. "Why not?"

"Your voice, for one," Hamill told her.

Kahlan cleared her throat. "The scratchiness will go away," she insisted.

"But you can't hide your eyes," Jenny told her sympathetically.

Kahlan looked at her. "What about my eyes?" She asked slowly as she looked at women. She finally noticed that Jenny wouldn't look at her face. "What's wrong with my eyes?" She asked desperately as she ran a hand over them and didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

Hamill smirked. "Apparently when you were gagging on the tube, you strained a lot."

"Sorry, I've always had a strong gag reflex," Kahlan told them sheepishly.

Liz grabbed a metal utensil tray and gave it to Kahlan upside down.

Kahlan held it up to her face and looked at her reflection. She laughed and then ended up coughing a couple times. "Wow, I almost scare myself."

**XXXXX**

Hotch sat and considered the plan. As he was thinking, his phone vibrated. His head snapped to Rossi. "That was my phone wasn't it?"

Rossi pulled it out of his pocket and quickly glanced at the screen. He relaxed when he saw what it was. "Yeah, sorry, I forgot I had it," he told him as he handed it to Hotch.

Hotch looked at the text and chuckled. "Kahlan wants me to bring her a Coke when I come."

"I imagine she's getting pretty tired of water," Rossi told him with a smile.

"I can't believe she didn't ask for a beer," Chuck told him with a laugh.

Hotch laughed. "She's already done that." He texted her back and said he would.

"So?" Chuck asked.

Hotch was about to answer when the doctor came in. "Everything looks good, Agent Hotchner. You are free to go. Just try to stay out of the line of fire for a few days," the doctor joked.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Hotch told him as he stood up.

**XXXXX**

When Hotch and Rossi walked into the control room, Dr. Hamill came out of Joey's room. Hotch stopped dead in his tracks. "It's alright. I was just getting another blood sample," Hamill told him quickly when she saw the look of concern on his face.

Hotch released the breath he was holding. "Oh, ok. How are they doing?"

"Your wife was asleep last time I checked," she started as she looked at the monitors. "And I'll give you an update on your daughter as soon as these get run," she told him with a smile as she showed him the two vials of blood that she had taken from Joey.

"Alright, thank you, Dr. Hamill." She patted his arm as she went past him. He gave her a small smile and then went to the door to Kahlan's room.

"I'm going to go see my Bella," Rossi told him and Hotch nodded and went to see his wife.

Kahlan's head turned to him as soon as he opened the door. He chuckled when he saw her. "You actually got someone to give you a pair of sunglasses?" He was glad to see they had switched her from an oxygen mask to just the rube running to her nose.

"You even said they. . . were bright," she told him with a smile.

He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "They're not that bright."

"Well, fine, you can sit. . . under them for me."

"Nah. I'm not yellow," he told her as he sat down. "What's wrong with your voice?"

"When you have oxygen drying your throat out, you'll understand. Where's my soda?"

He looked at the camera. "Are you sure you can have it?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. . . Give it here," she demanded jokingly as she held out her hand.

"What do I get if I give it to you?" She flicked her brows. "No! You will behave. Dave's here."

She pouted.

He laughed. He took the can out of his suit pocket and handed it to her. "Here, you spoiled brat." She took it with a smile. "If you get in trouble for having it, I will deny everything."

She cracked it open and took a drink. "Deniable plausibility, huh?"

"Yep."

"What's Dave doing?"

"He's with Joey, but he could come in at any time."

She studied him a moment. "Why do you have a. . . different shirt on?"

He looked down at his shirt. _How can you tell?_ "I spilled coffee all over the other one," he told her quickly.

"You did?" _And why was Dave using your phone? _

"Yeah."

"Funny, you didn't. . . get any on your tie," she told him with a look. _What the hell were you doing?_

He looked down at his tie to avoid her gaze. "Lucky, I guess," he told her as he picked up his tie and examined it.

_And now you won't look at me. What are you hiding, Hun?_ Before she could say anything else, she had a coughing fit. He stood up and got closer to her with concern. The shaking of her head made the sunglasses slip down a little and she quickly pushed them back up. Once she was done coughing she took another drink. "Take off the glasses, Kahlan."

"What?" she asked as she put the can on the table beside her bed.

"Take off the glasses and look at me," he told her in his fatherly tone.

"But the lights. . ."

"Kahlan," he told her sternly. She looked down at her lap and took the glasses off slowly. He reached up and gently moved her chin so she would have to look at him, but her eyes were closed. "Babe, look at me, please." She bit her lip but opened her eyes. A look of horror crossed his face as he looked at her. She didn't have any whites left. Every blood vessel in her eyes had ruptured leaving them bright red which stood out starkly with the blue of her eyes. "Oh my God, Babe! What. . . is that from. . . Oh my God!" He turned his head away because he couldn't look at her.

"Calm down, Aaron. It's nothing."

"Nothing? How can you say it's nothing? Did the powder cause that?" He asked still looking down at her legs.

"Can I put them back on now?"

He nodded, and she put the sunglasses back on. He finally looked at her face. "What happened?"

"If it was two months from now,. . . it would look cool."

He shook his head. _You're avoiding the question. Damn it!_ "Tell me what happened."

"After you tell me. . . what happened to you."

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"Where's your suit jacket?"

"In the car. It's hot out."

They stared each other down even though he couldn't see her eyes. Dave came in the door and immediately took in the situation. He licked his lips.

"What happened to him today?" Kahlan asked him quickly.

"Ask her why's she's wearing sunglasses," Hotch quickly followed up.

"I think I'm going to go get a cup of coffee. You two want one? No? ok," he told them and went back out the door before they could even answer.

They both looked at each other. They knew, that Dave knew, what had happened to both of them.

*If you've never seen anyone with their eyes like that, just Google images for subconjunctival hemorrhage. (it's freaky – but real)


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Kahlan laughed and then coughed. "That poor man. I can't believe the shit. . . we put him through."

"Yeah, it's not really fair, is it?" Hotch asked her as he sat on the bed beside her and grabbed her hand. "So what really happened?" He asked her tenderly.

She sighed a little as she looked at his face. It was obvious that he was concerned. "You promise to not freak out?"

He swallowed hard. "Yes."

"Apparently I had an episode," she started and he shifted a little. "I stopped breathing," she continued and his face started to show fear. She took a deep breath and ended up coughing a couple of times. "And my heart stopped," she finished.

He got up from the bed roughly and ran a hand down his face.

"You said you weren't going to freak out, Aaron."

He shook his head and actually chuckled nervously. After a few moments, he turned back to her with a look of bewilderment. "Why?" Is all he asked. _Maybe getting shot didn't cause my problems._

She studied him; she couldn't understand his look. "They don't know any more than I do," she told him honestly.

He huffed and turned away from her again. He ran a hand through his hair which made it stick out in several places. _God! Did I cause her to. . ._

"Aaron?"

He turned back to her; his work face on. "Seems like we have more in common than we'd probably like."

Her face scrunched up as she tried to figure out what that meant.

"You promise not to freak out?" He used her own sentence against her. "And not get mad?" He added quickly. She eyed him warily. "And not want to jump up and leave?" He also added as he went back and sat down beside her and grabbed her hand.

Her breath hitched in her chest as she cut her eyes at him. "You were shot."

His face showed his surprise, and he licked his lips and shifted away from her a little. "You didn't promise."

She reached up and grabbed his collar and pulled him to her with one hand and took the sunglasses off with the other. "What were you doing that you. . . were able to get shot at? I thought you. . . had caught them all," she said quietly as she searched his eyes.

He swallowed hard as he looked her in the eyes. "You didn't promise," he repeated.

She knew he wasn't going to tell her if she didn't. She let him go and looked away from his face as she bit her lip. _What the hell is going on?_ She shook her head in disgust. "You obviously weren't hurt. You must have had your vest on."

"Kahlan?" He asked as he reached up and turned her face back to him. "Promise." He noticed her hands were balled into fists, and he knew she was already mad.

She huffed as she cut her eyes to the side. After a few seconds, she looked into his eyes again. "Fine. I promise not to freak out."

He let go of her and stood up. "Then I guess I'll see you later," he told her and headed to the door.

"Chuck will tell me even if Dave won't."

He winced because he knew that was true. He sighed and turned back to her. "Kahlan you can't leave yet." He walked back over to her and grabbed her hand again. "What they're doing is helping. You need to. . ."

"Alright, Aaron."

"Promise you won't leave this room until Hamill says you can."

She smiled mentally. _He said 'this room', not 'this hospital'. _"I promise."

He searched her face, but he couldn't bring himself to search her eyes for very long. "Put the sunglasses back on."

She laughed and did. "Wow, I never thought there would be a time when you couldn't look at me," she joked.

He shook his head.

"Start at the beginning. I have a feeling. . . this isn't just about today."

"Well, you weren't in the shape to be in the loop," he defended himself as he brought the chair closer and sat down. She raised her brows in impatience. He sighed and told her about the bar and Daniels, the raid on the lodge, and them figuring out Daniels wasn't the leader. When he told her about Daniels' threat, he saw her tense in anger. He took a deep breath and told her about the attack at the BAU.

She tensed even more and shifted in her bed. He could feel the rage rolling off of her in waves. "Those son of a bitches attacked you in your own garage?!" She asked as her breathing quickened and became more labored.

Alarms started to go off as her heart rate and blood pressure shot up. "You need to calm down, Kahlan," he told her as he got up from the chair and sat back down beside her. Her nostrils flared and her right eye twitched as she looked to the wall, and he knew she was beyond livid. "Babe?" He put his arm around her.

Jenny came into the room quickly. She looked at them questioningly and went over and silenced the alarms. "Are you alright, Mrs. Hotchner?"

"I'm fine," Kahlan's anger made her tone harsher than she meant it to be.

Jenny locked eyes with Hotch. He nodded and she left the room. "You promised not to freak out," he told her tenderly as he put his hand on the side of her face and made her look at him. "I'm fine," he assured her. She held her breath for a few seconds and willed herself to calm down. She started moving the toes on her right foot rapidly and he knew she was thinking. He smiled as he grabbed her foot to still it. "I will be fine, too."

She searched his face. "How can you know that, Aaron? Apparently. . . someone else from the RRT is in on it, too."

"Because I didn't survive the trip to the hospital," he told her with a grin.

"Hospital? Why did you have to go to the hospital. . . for taking a shot to your vest? What aren't you telling me?"

He pursed his lips and stood up. He ran a hand through his hair as he started to pace. He wasn't sure what telling her about his episode would do to her.

"Aaron?"

"You know when I said we had more in common that we'd like?"

She studied him. "Yes."

"I'm not sure if what happened to you this morning was your fault or mine."

"What?" She asked him not understanding.

He shook his head. He wasn't sure he could explain the connection he 'felt' he had with her because he wasn't sure if it was a two-way street. _And if I'm the cause for her this morning. . . Oh God._

"Aaron? Would you please tell me what's going on before. . . I have to get up and strangle you."

He took a deep breath and went and sat back down in the chair. He scooted it as close to her as he could and took one of her hands in his. "When you said I completed you in a way you didn't know was possible, what did you mean?"

That took her by surprise. She felt her anger and worry start to ebb away as she studied his face. "I don't really know how to explain it," she confessed.

He bit his lip and nodded. His eyes darted around and then finally he looked at her again. "Do you feel a connection to me?"

A smile spread across her face. "Yes."

"In what way?"

"I don't know. I can. . ." She shook her head. "I don't know how to explain that either," she told him as she appraised him. "Why are you asking me?"

He studied her. He wasn't sure what kind of a connection she was talking about, but he didn't think it was the same as his. His brows furrowed as he tried to figure out hers.

"Just tell me," she told him as she put her hand on the side of his face.

"You'll probably think I'm crazy. . ." He licked his lips. "But I can feel things."

"Feel things?" She asked as she took her hand away with an uncertain look.

He sighed as he knew he would have to provide an example, but he was worried about drudging up bad memories. "I felt cold all the time when you were taken," he told her quietly.

She searched his face as her brows furrowed. "You can feel what I'm feeling?"

He wasn't sure if her tone was disbelief or not, but he didn't blame her. _Hell, I don't even really believe it._ "Not all the time. I think it has to be a pretty strong feeling for you for me to pick up on it," he tried to explain. Her eyes darted around as she considered it. She looked away from him, and his heart sank because he thought she didn't believe him. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he saw her reach up and wipe her face. "Babe?" She shook her head slightly and wiped her face again. "Kahlan? What's wrong?" He looked at the monitors half expecting her heart rate and blood pressure to be going up again. They weren't so he knew she wasn't mad.

She turned back to him with tears in her eyes. "So I not only put you through hell emotionally, I did it physically, too?"

"Oh, Babe," he started as he got up and sat on the bed beside her and put his arm around her. "I didn't tell you that to make you feel more guilt." He wiped away a tear from her face. "I just want you to understand it, but I'm not even sure I do." He shook his head. "I don't know."

She looked at him and a look of fear spread across her face. "So this morning?" Her fear quickly turned to horror. "Oh my God, Aaron! Did you. . . I caused you. . . They lost you, too?"

"Calm down, Babe," he told her as he watched her numbers rise on the monitor.

She searched his face. "They did. That's why Rossi had your phone. That's why. . . you had to go to the hospital."

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to him. "I'm fine, Kahlan."

She took a shuddering breath as she closed her eyes, and her numbers started to come down again. She nodded, but he saw her hands fidgeting with the blanket on her lap. He pulled her into a hug and felt her sigh against his shoulder. When he let her go, she finally looked at him again. "How come you've never told me about this connection?"

"I don't know. I haven't really felt anything since we got you back. I guess I wasn't sure of it actually being there, or you just weren't felling anything strong enough. . ." He took a deep breath. "But I have had a little trouble breathing lately." She shook her head again. "And then this morning. I just thought it was me, but when you told me what happened. I don't know. I wasn't sure what the reason was for it."

"You're wondering if I feel things from you? You think you getting shot caused might have caused me to. . ." Her brows furrowed as she considered it.

"It might have. At least I had a reason for it to happen, but if you've never felt anything from me. . . I don't know." He shook his head. "I don't know if I've ever felt anything strong enough for you to be able to feel it. Maybe this morning was the first time for you."

She actually smiled, and looked at her questioningly. "Please don't get shot again to find out."

He chuckled. "I don't plan on it."

"And how do you plan on doing that? Is that what you. . . meant by not making it to the hospital?"

He grinned. "It was Chuck's idea, but yes." He told her their plans for keeping him safe.

Once he was done, Kahlan shook her head. "Why would they think you died, if you had your. . . vest on?"

He grinned again. "Because I didn't have it on. I was going into the office like every other morning."

She eyed him warily. "I don't understand."

He smiled as he stood up and started untucking his shirt.

"Oh, Baby, take it all off," she said with a devilish grin.

He froze. "Jesus Christ, Babe." He shook his head at her. "You better behave."

She sighed. "Fine," she pouted.

He chuckled and pulled his shirt up enough so she could see his armor shirt. "Chuck made me wear this."

She waved him closer as she looked at the strange material. Once he was close enough, she reached out and grabbed it. Her brows furrowed as she inspected it. "Where did Chuck get it?"

"I have no idea. I don't think he would have told me if I'd asked," he told her honestly. "Dave knew what it was, though."

She finally let it go, and he started to tuck his shirt back in. "Need help with that?" She asked coyly.

He shook his head. "Nah, I don't think I could handle your hand in my pants again."

She chuckled and the door opened. They both turned, expecting Dave. Hamill came in with a smile on her face, but she froze in her tracks; the smile quickly turned to shock when she saw Hotch tucking in his shirt. "It's not what it looks like," Hotch told her quickly as he stepped back away from Kahlan as his face turned twenty different shades of red and Kahlan laughed.

"I'm sorry. I should have knocked," she told him in a tone that told them she didn't believe him.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

"Seriously. I was just. . ." Hotch started as he tried to defend himself.

"You're a married couple, so it's none of my business what you all do, but I do think Mrs. Hotchner may need a little more time to heal," she told him in an accusing tone and with a disapproving look.

Hotch's hand went to his forehead as he shook his head in embarrassment, and Kahlan laughed again. "Did you need something Dr. Hamill?" Kahlan asked her with a smile still on her face.

Hamill finally smiled again. "Yes. I wanted to give you an update on your daughter."

Kahlan held her breath and Hotch went to stand behind her and put his hands on her shoulders supportively.

"It's working," she started and Kahlan released the breath she was holding in a rush. "Her latest blood work shows a great reduction in the mutated disease. If this keeps up, and I don't know why it wouldn't, we'll be waking her up soon," she finished with a big smile.

"Oh thank God!" Kahlan exclaimed as her eyed watered.

Hotch squeezed her shoulders as he smiled. "Thank you, Dr. Hamill."

Hamill smiled again and nodded. She walked up and patted Kahlan on the leg. "As long as this one doesn't scare us again, you should have your family back within the week," she told Hotch and he teared up. She smiled again and left the room.

Hotch went around and looked at his wife; she broke down and actually cried. He pulled her into a hug. "Come one, Babe. She's going to be fine," he told her as tears of relief fell down his cheeks. She nodded against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him and he held her tighter.

After a few moments, Kahlan finally pulled away from him and wiped her face. Hotch wiped his, too, and gave her a smile. She didn't return the smile, though, as her eyes darted around and he knew she was thinking, rapidly. "What?"

She bit her lip and then fixed him with a look. "I don't like your plan."

He looked at her questioningly and sat down in the chair. "Why not?"

"Because if they think your dead, and you were the only target,. . . they might disappear into the woodwork. Once it finally comes. . . out that you're alive, they'll show back up." He was about to say something, so she held up her hand to stop him. "If the leader is the target, then they'll just shift their aim onto the next person."

He raised a brow as he considered it. "So you think I should keep going and let them come after me?"

"Not exactly," she started as she shook her head. "That would be way too dangerous, never knowing where. . . or when they'll strike. No." She shook her head again.

He studied her. "You have an idea?"

She smiled. "If it severely wounded you, you would still be alive. . . and an easy target."

He smiled. "And luring them into a controlled place where they could be taken care of easily enough."

She nodded. "But you're not allowed to be the one lying in that bed!" She told him in her 'I'm the mom, that's why' tone.

He chuckled. "I wouldn't think we would need an actual person in it. I'm sure we could make it look real enough."

"And whoever gets caught in the trap can be questioned," she told him slyly.

"I like it," Dave told them as he came through the door with a smile on his face. Hotch balked because he then knew that they did have sound. Dave looked at him.

"It's not what she thought!" Hotch defended himself.

Dave laughed.

"How long were you listening?" Kahlan asked him with a glance to her husband.

Dave smiled slyly and then got serious. "I came out of Joey's room and saw Hamill come in here. I just wanted to hear the update on my Bella, I'm sorry I eavesdropped," he told her as he went over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't be sorry. We have nothing to hide from you," she told him with a smile.

"Oh yeah, you two only hide stuff from each other," he told them both with a smirk.

"No. We're good," Hotch told him with a smile to his wife.

Dave appraised the two of them, not sure whether to believe him or not.

"How will any plan work if you've been walking around. . . since it happened anyway?" Kahlan asked Hotch.

Dave smiled. "Because his doctor let us use an ambulance to come here. We went out the backdoor there and came in through backdoor here where they brought you in. The only people to have seen him since he got to the hospital are me and Chuck."

"And the doctor and nurses of course," Hotch added.

"You haven't let anything hit the news or anything have you?" Kahlan asked them.

"No. I couldn't take the chance of it getting to you or the family until I talked with you," Hotch told her.

Dave grimaced at the thought. "I've talked with Donna. She took the boys to her house."

Kahlan nodded. "Well you better go and get it all set up. Make sure you're. . . using people you know you can trust!"

Hotch smiled. "We already have made ourselves a little group. Don't worry. We got this," he told her and bent down to give her a kiss.

"Yeah, right! How can I not worry when I know my man has a target painted on him?" Kahlan asked him and then looked to Rossi.

"We'll protect him, Kiddo," Dave told her seriously as he gave her a hug.

"Keep me posted!" She demanded.

"I will. You worry about getting better. Let me worry about finding them," Hotch told her gave her hand a squeeze.

"Go," she told him, and they headed for the door. "I love you."

He looked at her and smiled. "I love you, too."

She quickly texted him to be safe, and pushed the button for the nurse.

**XXXXX**

Hotch and Rossi called the team to let them know the change in plans, and JJ suggested that Will and his guys could handle security around the hospital. "That sounds good, JJ," Rossi told her and she took out her phone to call Will.

Chuck also suggested that the squad be allowed to handle things in Hotch's room. "But if it is someone on the inside, they'll know them, too." Rossi told him.

"They're good at disguises. You wouldn't even be able to recognize them," Chuck told him with a smile.

Hotch and Rossi looked at each other. Hotch shrugged.

"Give them the chance to impress you, Hotch. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," Cam told them.

"One of us could be there visiting, too," Mack suggested.

"While that would make it look even more real, I don't want you all up there all the time," Hotch told them in a tone that told them he was worried about their safety.

"So?" Chuck asked impatiently.

"Do it, Chuck. Make sure they know. . ." Hotch started.

"I will," Chuck cut in and then took out his phone.

"As soon as everything is ready, I'll release the shooting to the press," Garcia told them.

"Now that is taken care of," Morgan started. "The SUV used was registered to DC SWAT, but there wasn't anyone around it by the time they got there, and it was reported stolen two days ago."

"So no log of who had it out, of course," Rossi said disgustingly.

"Ballistics did match the slug to several shootings throughout DC," Cam told them.

"Let me guess, all unsolved," Hotch said dryly.

"Yes, and there's nothing worse than a dirty cop." Cam's tone surprised them all; they had never seen or heard him mad before. He was always so calm and collected.

"Oh, Puddin, don't worry, we'll get 'em," Garcia told him cheerfully, and Hotch and Rossi both knew that she was hugging him.

"Yeah, let's hope they go after Hotch quickly. It would be nice to have some more answers and leads," Reid told them.

"Where are you going to be, Hotch?" Mack asked.

"I don't know yet, but don't worry, no one will see me," he tried to assure them. He knew they were all worried about him, but he didn't want them to come to him. He didn't want any of them near him in case he was found out; it was too dangerous.

"And stay away from Walter Reed. Just like the BAU, it's the one place where they know you go," Chuck insisted. They could all tell he was worried about Hotch, but they also knew he was worried about Kahlan getting hurt.

"If I'm lying in a bed in the hospital, they won't be looking for me to go anywhere," Hotch told him.

"Unless they already know. If we can think of the plan, so can other people," Chuck insisted.

Hotch winced, and got a little more worried because Chuck was right.

**XXXXX**

"Mrs. Hotchner," Hamill started patiently. "You literally died this morning. You need to get stronger before you're up and walking around."

"But I won't get any stronger lying in bed. I just want to get up and move around. Unhook me from all of this," she indicated the tubes and wires hooked to her. "So I can get out of this bed."

"It can't hurt for her to try," Liz told Hamill with a smile.

"Yeah, I can take a real bath."

"You'll need to take it easy," Hamill insisted.

"I know," Kahlan told her with a grin.

"And not push yourself too hard," Hamill added with a look that told Kahlan she thought she would.

"I want to be able to go to Joey's room before she's awake," Kahlan tugged on Hamill's motherly heart strings. "I don't want her to wake up and see me in this bed. It will scare her."

"Alright," she finally conceded.

"So I can leave this room as soon as I'm able to?" Kahlan asked to be certain.

"Yes, just be careful. We don't need you to have another episode like this morning."

Kahlan smiled. _She said I can leave this room._ "Thank you, Dr. Hamill, and not just for this, for everything. You and your team have been amazing."

"You've helped just as much as we have. . ."

"No I haven't."

"Yes you have. Those people are going to live because of you, and when I tell them and their families. . ."

"Please don't. You and your team are the heroes. I was just a desperate mother grasping at straws. "

Hamill appraised her with knowing eyes. "You're a lot more than that, but fine, I will keep your help quiet."

"Thank you. I know that I have been difficult, but I have never been a good patient, so I need to apologize for being such a pain."

"Your fine, Mrs. Hotchner. I'll have Liz and Angie set you free from the bed, just please take it slow."

"I will," she lied with a smile.

Hamill eyed her warily, and Kahlan knew she didn't believe her.

As soon as Kahlan was free to move about the room, she texted Chuck: 'Hey you.'

'It's about damn time, Kay! I now have gray hair!'

Kahlan chuckled. 'Sorry. I need a favor.'

"Oh God.'

'Calm down. I just want my bag from home.'

'Why?'

'Cause I can finally take a shower, and I want some real clothes.'

'And yet you're not asking Hotch to do it. . .'

She smiled. _He knows me too well._ 'How can he do it when he's supposed to be hidden?'

'Are you sure it's safe for me to come back up there?'

She smiled. 'Yes, Chuck. I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think you could handle it.'

' ' There was a pause, and then he texted her again. 'I really don't want to have to go through your drawers.'

She laughed. 'I have a bag ready in my closet. Right side, bottom, behind the shoes.'

'It's hidden? Exactly what's in the bag?'

'Just bring it!'

'I'm going to get in trouble for this aren't I?'

'Probably.'

'Welcome back, Kay!'

She laughed again.

'I'll be there in about an hour.'

'See ya then,' and she got up on and swayed a little. _Get it together, woman!_


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

Kahlan was able to walk to the bathroom and back without struggling too much by the time Chuck got there. She was sitting on the bed when he knocked and came into the room without waiting for an answer. Kahlan smiled when she saw him and stood up as he walked up to her. He put her bag down and grabbed her in a tight hug. She put her arms around him and rubbed circles on his back as she felt him crying silently. She let him hold her as long as he needed to. "I'm ok," she whispered to him as she held him.

He finally let her go and looked at her. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry."

"You should be!" He yelled in mock anger. "God, Kay. . . I couldn't. . ."

She pulled him into another hug. "I know. I'm sorry," she told him again.

"But you're ok now, right?" He asked as he held her out at arm's length.

"I will be," she told him seriously.

He scrunched up his face. "Why are you wearing sunglasses?"

She frowned. "You don't want to know."

He huffed. "You're right. I don't." He let her go and gave her a once over. "You don't look too hot."

She sighed. "I know."

"And you're going to leave?" He had figured that's what she wanted him and her bag for.

"Not today. I just want my stuff for when I feel I'm ready."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Which will be before the doctor actually thinks you are."

"Probably, but I can't sit here knowing what's happening and. . . not be out there helping," she told him as she sat back down.

Her answer didn't surprise him because he had never seen her stay in a hospital as long as the doctors wanted her to. "Does Hotch know you plan on leaving?"

She smirked. "No."

"And what do you plan on doing once you leave?" He asked her as he sat down beside her.

"Depends on what happens between now and then."

"Are you going to tell him once you do get out?"

"I plan on going straight to him. He'll know as soon as I show up wherever he is," she told him with a grin.

"So you don't have any plans of trying to run off and take care of things on your own?" He asked her as he studied her.

"No, Chuck. I promised him I would never do that again."

He smiled because he could tell she was being honest with him. "Good, cause I wouldn't like it any more than he would."

She leaned onto his shoulder. "I never did apologize for not taking you with me to Baltimore. I'm sorry. I should have known I wouldn't be able to do it without you."

"Would of, could, of should ofs. . . Don't worry about it," he told her as he leaned into her. "Just don't ever do it again!"

She smiled. "I also need to thank you. Aaron wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you."

He smiled. "Yep, and I can't wait to give him shit about it later. Now he owes me big time!"

She chuckled. She knew he didn't like taking the credit for anything anymore than she did. "Yeah? And what are you going to ask for in return?"

"I don't know. I'll have to wait for something special."

She laughed. "Well, thank you for watching out for him."

"I promised to look out for him like a brother."

She put her arm around him. "I know, and I couldn't have asked for a better brother for either one of us."

He smiled widely. "So what's in the bag?" He asked as he kicked the bag he brought her.

She grinned. "Clothes and other things."

"Uh-hum," he hummed and then smiled. He could just imagine what was in the bag.

"What? I want to be ready when I leave, so I don't have to go get anything."

"Has he ever seen you fully equipped?"

She smirked. "Nope."

"It's going to scare the shit out of him when he does."

She laughed. "Probably, but I don't have that much stuff in there."

**XXXXX**

When the first guy made his way silently into the dimly lit hospital room, it pissed Hotch off. He knew then that everyone's fears were correct. One attempt might have been able to be played off as retaliation against the lodge, but as soon as another attempt was made, it was obvious that Hotch truly was a target. The man was quickly subdued and secretly taken out of the hospital to await the next attempt, if there was going to be another.

Within thirty minutes, they knew the almost hitman was a member of Daniels' SWAT team. "I say we get the whole damn team in and lock them up. We can question them and see who's involved and who's not," Cam started. He was sitting next to Hotch and Rossi in his van parked in the hospital parking lot. He hacked into the hospital's security system and had placed a few of his own security things throughout the wing where Hotch was supposedly trying to recover from the malicious shooting. "His whole damn team is probably dirty!" Cam finished with a grunt of disgust.

Rossi gave Hotch a look. They had never seen Cam so emotional about anything. "That's actually a great idea. We could get Clapper to call them in for a special assignment and detain them," Rossi suggested.

Hotch nodded. "I'll call him now," he told them and took out his phone.

"Hold up," Cam started as he moved his camera around and focused on a woman walking down the hall in the hospital. He started facial recognition. They watched in silence as the woman made her way towards the room.

"She looks like an ordinary woman walking down the hall," Rossi told him as he studied the screen.

Cam huffed as he adjusted the camera to zoom in on the woman's lower right leg. "Looks like an ankle holster to me," he told them with a smile.

Hotch narrowed his eyes as he watched her walk. There was a slight pull in her pant leg as she stepped with her right. "Nice call," he told Cam with a grin.

"Well, with the amount of time I've spent walking behind Kay, I guess I recognize it a little quicker than most," he told them and then signaled the squad that another target was approaching.

Rossi looked at the screen where the facial program was running. "With as long as that's taking, she can't be in any of the RRT groups."

"Just another homegrown terrorist." Hotch's tone revealed the distaste he felt.

"Or a hitman looking to get paid," Cam mused.

Sure enough, as soon as the woman entered Hotch's room, she bent down and took a pistol out of an ankle holster and aimed it at the bed. In a blur across the screen, Sai had the woman unconscious on the floor in a split second. Rossi shook his head in disbelief. "Now, he is scary."

Cam chuckled. "Yeah. I think he's even faster than Kay was." Hotch looked at him. He was going to say something, but he just shook his head instead. Cam noticed out of the corner of his eye, and chuckled again.

Once the woman was taken care of and on her way out of the hospital to the holding facility, Hotch took out his phone to call Clapper.

XXX

By ten that evening, they had one more person in custody. The squad switched out to members to allow for the first group to get some rest, and Bee took over for Cam. Rossi took Hotch to Walter Reed. He chuckled as he drove the Nissan Skyline. "I feel like a dam teenager driving this thing," he told Hotch with a smile as he shifted through the gears. Not only was it blacked out so no one could see who was in it, Jules assured them that it was bulletproof.

"I get to drive it next time," Hotch told him with his own grin.

"Well, at least, I don't think anyone would be looking for us to be in a car like this." Not only was the car modified and souped up to rival those in the video games Dave loved to play, it was black and spiced orange with neon running under the spoiler and undercarriage.

"I think the boys would love it," Hotch told him as he held on as Dave took a turn a little too tightly for Hotch's comfort.

Rossi laughed at Hotch and accelerated even more. "Kahlan would like it, too."

Hotch laughed as he imagined his wife taking g-force creating turns in a similar car. Hotch looked in the side mirror at the Mazda RX7 behind them. It was white with electric blue lighting going along the side of it. Chuck wasn't having any problems keeping up with Dave, and Hotch grinned at the two men almost racing to get to Walter Reed first. "Think these actually belong to Jules and Sam, or do you think they just use them?" Rossi grinned as Chuck came up beside them. Chuck gunned it and started to take the lead, but Rossi put it in sixth gear and kept them neck-in-neck. "Alright, boys," Hotch started as he winced at the cars in front of them. "We don't need to get stopped. . ." he closed his eyes as Rossi darted around a minivan, almost sideswiping Chuck. "Or get in a wreck!"

Rossi laughed. "Calm down, Aaron! I haven't had this much fun driving in a long time."

Hotch glanced over and saw that Chuck and Sam were laughing their asses off. Hotch's body lurched forward as Rossi down shifted to avoid slamming into a car in front of him. Rossi cussed under his breath as Chuck took off down the road without them. Hotch licked his lips and decided it was better to focus on his lap than to watch where they were going. "If those damn games make you want to drive like this, the boys will never play them again."

Rossi laughed again. "It's not the games, but the car in the hands."

Hotch shook his head at the older man's childlike joyfull smile. "I don't Kahlan would like it if you got me killed screwing. . ." He grabbed the arm rest again as Rossi swerved around two more vehicles using the opposing lanes. "Around with Chuck," he finally got the rest of his sentence out as Rossi shifted and got closer to Chuck.

"I will not get a scratch on this beautiful automobile," Rossi told him flatly.

"Oh so you're more worried about messing up the car than protecting its passenger?" Hotch asked jokingly.

"Yep. A car doesn't come off the show room floor this awesome. A lot of love has gone into her," Rossi told him as he started to overtake Chuck once again.

Chuck suddenly accelerated and pulled into front of Rossi. Hotch put a hand on the dash as Rossi slammed on his breaks to stop from hitting Chuck. "What the hell?" Rossi exclaimed as he down shifted and prepared to go around Chuck.

As soon as they got to the next light, Hotch laughed at the two police cars sitting in the median. They innocently passed the cops without them giving the cars a second look. "Apparently there's a radar detector in that car, too."

Rossi waited until the cops could no longer be seen and quickly passed Chuck with Hotch grabbing the arm rest with white knuckles. _Jesus Christ! Please just let me make it back to solid ground!_

They came around the next corner and Hotch breathed a sigh of relief when Walter Reed came into view. He felt Rossi accelerate again and he cringed when Chuck did the same. "Only one of us will fit through that gate at a time!" Hotch yelled as he closed his eyes and waited for the crash he thought was surly coming.

Rossi's belly laugh as they took the turn told Hotch that they had won. Once Rossi had pulled up to the service entrance, Hotch got out quickly. He fixed Rossi with a look over the car. "You are not allowed to drive again!"

Chuck came running up with a mile long grin. "Damn, Rossi, I didn't you know you had it in you!"

Sam walked up and gave Dave a smile, too. "He outdrove you, that's for sure."

Rossi laughed some more and gave both of the younger men high-fives. Chuck looked at Hotch. "Damn, Hotch, you alright?"

Hotch fixed them all with a look, shook his head, and went inside to see his wife.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

Kahlan's brows furrowed as she took in her husband. "What's wrong?" She asked quickly once he was in the room completely; he looked way too pale for everything to be alright.

Hotch shook his head as he looked back out towards the hallway. "Rossi just made me age ten years."

"What?! What's wrong with Dave?" She asked desperately.

"He's a lunatic, that's what's wrong with him!" Hotch told her as he went up to her. "He just drove this little damn sports car like he was. . . he was. . . in one of those damn video games!"

Kahlan busted out laughing. He shook his head at her and his look told her he didn't think it was a damn bit funny. "Jesus, Aaron, calm down. Let the man have a little fun. It obviously didn't hurt you."

Hotch gave her a dirty look. "Tell that to my heart. It's still beating a mile a minute."

She reached her hands out and pulled him to her. "Just breathe, Hun," she told him as she wrapped him in a hug.

He finally took a deep breath and returned the hug. Once he pulled back, his brows furrowed as he actually looked at her. "Why is your hair wet?"

She smiled. "They actually let me take a shower. Is that a problem?"

He studied her, but the sunglasses and her smile made her too hard to read. "No. I guess not."

She giggled. "What?" He eyed her suspiciously. "What?" She asked again.

_It was safer when you were hooked up to everything._ "Nothing." He sighed and sat down beside her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Uh-huh. How much better?" _She doesn't have any clothes, so she can't leave._

"Exactly what are you asking me, Aaron?"

"Just that. I'm allowed to worry about how you're doing." _She wouldn't leave. She promised._

"My throat is killing me, my head is pounding, my abdomen hurts like hell, I'm weaker than I've been in many years, and I'm too young to feel this damn old. Is that a clear enough answer?"

He winced mentally at the slight edge in her voice. "Sorry, Babe. I know this has been hard on you. I didn't mean to imply that. . ."

"Shut up, Aaron. I still feel a hell of a lot better than I did two days ago, so I'm good."

Her tone had gone back to normal, so he put his arm around her and squeezed her to him. "I wish I could make it all go away."

"I wish you could, too," she told him as she laid her head on his chest, and he kissed her on the top of her head. She craned her head to look up at him. "I'll be out of here before you know it."

"Please don't rush it," he told her as he rested his chin on her head.

She pulled away from him without a comment.

He sighed. _ You are going to rush it. Damn it!_

"So how did your trap work out?"

He didn't want to tell her, but he wasn't sure if Chuck or Cam already had. "We caught three today."

Her face showed a mix of fear and anger and she shook her head. _I'm going to kill you Daniels! I don't care if you are locked up. I will kill you for making my man a target!_

"I'm fine, Babe."

"Yeah, until they realize that's not really you in that room!"

"Babe. . ." He was sure alarms would be going off if she had still been hooked up to the monitors.

"Has anyone questioned Daniels yet?"

"Not in that way, no, but. . ."

"He probably knows who's in charge. You need to get him questioned. You need to. . ."

"Let me worry about it. You need to calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" She yelled as she got up roughly.

He noticed she winced when she stood up and it made him wince. She took a few steps away from him as she balled her hands into fists. He stood up and went to her. "Kahlan," he started as he put his hands on her waist. "Please take it easy. You need to. . ."

She pulled away from him. "Has anyone even questioned Bowman? Are you sure Daniels was behind the powder?"

"Babe, please sit back down." He could see her getting more unsteady by the moment.

"Answer me."

"We'll get the answers. We've just been a little preoccupied right now. Please sit down."

"I don't need to sit down!"

"Then why are you struggling to stay standing, Kahlan? You may want to believe you're ready to leave, but it's obvious you're not." She gave him a look of defiance. "No!" He demanded because he knew then that she was planning on leaving. "Kahlan, you promised."

"Yes, I did, and I would never break a promise, Aaron."

He remembered what he made her promise, and he mentally kicked himself. "You know that's not what I meant!"

"Whether it is or not, it's what I promised."

He watched her chest heaving slightly. "You can't even argue with me without losing your breath, Kahlan. You aren't in any shape to be leaving here."

"I'm fine!" She insisted.

"You really think so? Then prove it! You want to leave," he started as he went to the door. "If you can move me away from this door, then you can leave." She smiled and started for him. "By regular means! Not using any of that scary shit you know!" He added quickly before she could reach him.

She stopped and her shoulders slumped. "That's not fair!"

He finally released the breath he had held in anticipation of her strike. His face softened and he walked up to her again. "I know you're going stir crazy in here, Babe," he told her as he wrapped his arms around her neck. "I want you out of here almost as much as you want to leave. I want you with me on this case as badly as you want to help solve it, and I want you home with me. Lord knows how much I want you by my side at night, but you can't rush your recovery, Babe." He pulled of the sunglasses looked her in the eyes. "I want you with me so much it hurts, but I want you healed properly first."

She sighed, and he knew he had won. "I can't stand knowing you're in danger, and I'm not there to help."

He pulled her into a hug. "I know, Babe." After a few moments he let her go and led her back to the bed. She sat down defeated. He sat beside her and grabbed her hand. He smiled when he realized the bruise that had covered it was finally starting to fade away. "There will still be plenty for you to do once you're able to leave," he assured her.

"What do I have to do, to be able to leave?"

He took a deep breath. "You won't wait until Hamill gives you the green light?" He knew she wouldn't but he needed a moment to think about what requirements he could force on her.

"How about two days?"

"You'll wait two full days and not leave until I come to get you?" He knew he had to be specific.

She laughed and ended up coughing. "Two nights from now," she agreed.

"As long as you keep getting better," he tried to get more.

She eyed him coldly. "Don't push it."

He chuckled and pulled her to him. "Two nights from now."

She pulled away from him and fixed him with a deadly serious look. He swallowed hard, not wanting to know what she was about to say. "Daniels is mine."

He chuckled nervously. "Ok."

"But you should let Sai or Chuck question Bowman tomorrow. We need to know who exactly was behind the powder."

He nodded. Bec_ause you want to know if it truly was Daniels before you question him._ He mentally shuddered as his imagination started displaying all kinds of horrors that she would do to him. "Or Cameron can do it."

She turned a shocked look to him. "He finally let you know?"

He smiled. "I think Daniels pissed him off."

She huffed. "I bet."

"Why does he hate dirty cops so much?" She winced, and for a second he didn't think she was going to tell him.

"His dad was a cop. He worked for Internal Affairs, and he was investigating a whole group of dirty cops when they found out and killed him. Cam was only sixteen when it happened."

"Oh my God! Did they catch them?"

"They destroyed any evidence he had when they killed him. I think it's actually still a cold case." She smiled her evil smile. "But Cam got them once he had the skills and gathered enough evidence to prove to himself that they were indeed dirty."

Hotch shook his head slowly. He wasn't sure what she meant by 'he got them,' but he was sure he really didn't want to know.

She studied his face. "He didn't kill them if that's what you're thinking." He looked shocked. "He just made sure all of their illegal activities were recorded and then turned them into the states District Attorney. It was such a strong case that they are still serving several life sentences," she told him proudly.

He looked impressed. "Good for him." He kissed her hand. "What do you want me to bring you so you can leave two nights from now?"

She laughed when he stressed the last part. "Nothing. Chuck already brought me my stuff," she told him with a smile.

He looked at her confusedly. "I didn't think Chuck could handle coming back up here."

She gave him a questioningly look but then it turned into a sad smile. "He just can't be around really sick people, or someone who might be dying."

"Why is that?"

She sighed. "Cam doesn't even know. You can't say anything to anyone," she demanded.

"I won't," he told her sincerely.

"He had a sister who was two years older than him, but they were very close. She had leukemia and battled with it for several years. When he was twelve, she went into the hospital for the last time. For fifteen days he watched her struggle and then die. His parents never left, so he was stuck there, too."

"That's horrible!"

"Yeah. They weren't bad people. I met them a couple times, but I guess they were so distraught that they didn't realize how badly it was affecting him."

"My God!" He shook his head. "No wonder he couldn't handle going in to see you."

"I think she's the reason he latched on to me so hard. He couldn't protect her, so he makes sure he protects me." She smiled wistfully. "He tired seeing me once, but it just took him back to his sister, and he couldn't handle it. He had to leave, but I understood."

"When was that? When you almost died from Cholera, the Plague, being shot four times, or from being blown up?"

She raised her brows in surprise. He grinned. She squinted her eyes as she studied him. "You read my medical records."

He smirked as he shrugged. "And I haven't even gotten half way through it."

She shook her head. "Cholera," she finally admitted.

He shook his head.

"You better get out of here and try to get some sleep," she told him as pushed him away.

"Alright. You, too. You'll never get your strength back if you don't rest," he told her seriously as he stood up.

She huffed. "I got two days to rest," she told him sarcastically.

He pulled her into a hug. "I'll be back tomorrow." He leaned down and gave her a kiss. "I love you."

She smiled up at him. "I love you, too."


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

After Hotch threatened to walk to the hotel he was staying in, Rossi finally gave in and let him drive. While Hotch had enjoyed the acceleration and maneuvering the Skyline offered, he didn't take it to the extreme that Rossi had. Once he was to the out of the way hotel, Rossi took the car back to the hospital where he got into his own vehicle with a sigh. Chuck and Sam had also gotten out at the hotel, thee were staying in the room beside Hotch for security purposes.

After sneaking into his room, Hotch had showered and laid down in the bed. After about twenty minutes of tossing and turning, he grabbed the extra pillow and hugged it to his chest. That didn't even help, so he turned over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. _My girls are getting better, so relax and go the hell to sleep!_ After a few more minutes, he grabbed the tablet off the nightstand and brought it to life. With the lights hung above her bed, he could clearly see wife, and his heart ached a little to see she was also tossing and turning. _Apparently I'm not the only having trouble sleeping. She's probably worried about me_, he thought sadly. He was beyond relieved to have gotten her to agree to two more days, because he was pretty sure she'd run herself into the ground trying to solve the whole thing by herself.

Suddenly his phone vibrated. He sat down the tablet and picked up his phone and smiled when he saw it was Kahlan texting him.

'Why aren't you asleep?'

He looked at his phone questioningly. _How the hell does she know?_ 'Don't like sleeping without you, I guess.'

'Oh, I thought maybe Dave had your adrenalin pumping again.'

'HA HA.'

' '

'Why are you still awake?'

'These stupid lights!'

He picked the tablet back up and brought it to life and watched as Kahlan doubled over as she grabbed her stomach in pain. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing,' she quickly texted him.

'Yeah, right! I'd say you're in pain.'

_Really? He felt that, too? No wonder he didn't want me to leave._ She shook her head as she glanced at the camera. _No he didn't._ 'I'm fine.'

'Kahlan?'

'Wow even through texting I can still 'hear' that tone.' Before he could respond, she texted him again. 'I guess you're using your stare on your phone, too. Huh?'

He actually chuckled because he realized he was. He watched her relax back into the bed. 'Are you sure you're ok?' He was beginning to think she wasn't going to answer him when his phone vibrated and he realized she'd called him.

"Stop worrying about me and try to get some sleep," she told him as soon as the call connected.

He sighed deeply. "It's not like I have an off switch to that worry. I'm sorry. I guess I just love you too much not to worry."

"Touché."

He chuckled and sighed again.

"Are you laying on your back?"

"Yeah," he drew it out because he wasn't sure why she was asking.

"Grab a pillow and put up to your left side and drape your arm around it. You can pretend it's me."

He moved his phone to his right hand, put the tablet back on the nightstand, and did as instructed.

"Close your eyes." He did, and she sighed into the phone heavily. "I'm snuggled up against you," she started softly. "My head is on your chest. I can hear your heart beating, and mine starts to mimic it." He sighed as he imagined it. "Where's the blanket?"

"Lying across my waist."

"Pull it up a little higher and imagine my arm laying across the bottom of your ribs."

He smiled as he did it and then snuggled his arm back up against the pillow. He didn't understand what it was about her tone that just seemed to melt his tension away, but he loved it. He gave the pillow a tight squeeze. "You feel me give you a hug?"

She smiled. "Yep. You feel my hair tickling your arm?"

He chuckled. "Yep."

"Now take a deep breath and imagine the scent of my shampoo."

He did and smiled. "God I love you," he told her quietly.

"I love you, too, Hun. Now, go to sleep. I'm right there with you," she told him quietly.

"Uh-hm," he mummed, and she knew he was already drifting off.

"Good night, my love," she whispered and ended the call.

**XXXXX**

Once Chuck realized Hotch was awake, he took him a cup of coffee. Hotch had unlocked the door once Chuck signaled that he was coming over, so Chuck walked in and joined him at the little table. "Wow, you look like you actually slept for a change."

"Yeah."

Chuck eyed him suspiciously. "What's going on?" He could tell Hotch was thinking.

Hotch looked at the cup in his hand. "The team and part of the squad can handle the hospital. I want you and Sai and maybe even Cam to go with me to question these assholes. We need answers, and we need them now."

Chuck smiled. "Can I have Daniels?"

Hotch almost chocked on his coffee. "No. Kahlan wants him for herself."

Chuck gave him a knowing look and chuckled. "When it happens, you won't want to watch it."

"I don't doubt it. I just hope she's up for it when she finally does it." He fixed Chuck with a look. "Thanks for taking her stuff to her, by the way."

Chuck swallowed his coffee a little faster than he was planning on, and it burned all the way down. He couldn't tell if Hotch was being sarcastic or if he was actually mad at him. "I was just so happy to find out she wasn't lying on death's door anymore, that I did what she asked. Sorry," Chuck told him sheepishly.

Hotch smiled. "It's alright. I got her to agree not to leave the hospital until tomorrow night."

Chuck raised his brows in shock. "Really? She promised?" Chuck's tone revealed his doubt.

Hotch squinted his eyes as he looked at the younger man. "Damn it!" Hotch yelled as he got up and grabbed his phone. He called her and shook his head as it rang. _How could I not get her to promise?_ When she didn't answer, he felt his stomach tighten.

"It's still early. Maybe she's still sleeping," Chuck tried to sound reassuring.

Hotch went to the tablet. He tried to bring the image up, but it was dead. He cussed himself for not getting a charger from Cameron.

"Call the hospital directly," Chuck suggested when he saw how worried Hotch was getting.

"Yeah," Hotch said as he found the number in his contact list.

"Bio Unit," a male voice answered.

"This is Agent Hotchner. . ."

"Oh, good morning, Agent. This is Mark. What can I do for you?"

"Is my wife still there?"

"What?" He started uncertainly. "We haven't discharged her. . ."

"Just check to see if she's actually in her room like she's supposed to be, please."

"Yes, sir. Just one moment." Hotch could hear him walking, but he wasn't sure if he was going to her room directly or to the monitors. "She's. . . wait a minute." Hotch's breath caught in his throat because he knew she wasn't in her room. Chuck looked at him questioningly. "Oh. She's in with your daughter, Agent Hotchner. Did you want to me get her. I think she's strong enough to come to the phone."

Hotch finally let his breath go. "No, that's fine. I'll just call her later. Is everything alright with Joey?"

"Yes sir. We're starting to warm her back up. Once that's done, we'll check everything again, and if she's still progressing, we'll wake her up."

Hotch could hear the joy in his voice. "Thank you. You have no idea how good that makes me feel."

"Don't worry. They'll be back home before you know it. Have a good day, Agent Hotchner."

"Thank you, you, too." Hotch smiled and Chuck visibly relaxed. "She's still there."

"Then why didn't she answer?"

"She's in Joey's room." A big smile spread across his face. "They might be waking her up soon."

Chuck's smile matched his own. "Well, then she definitely won't leave then. She'll want to be there when it happens," he assured Hotch.

"That's true," Hotch told him as he nodded. "I'll go get ready."

XXX

Once everyone convinced Hotch that he shouldn't be seen, Cam set him up in another van so he could watch it all from the parking lot. Hotch didn't want to take the van away from their trap room, but Cam just smiled and said they had more than one. _Or course you do._ Hotch watched in slightly agitated anticipation as Bowman was questioned first. Sai wasn't quite so scary as Kahlan had been with Tenner, but Hotch figured that was because Bowman wasn't as tough as Tenner. By the time Sai was done, though, it was clear that Daniels was the one who approached him and talked him into making the mutated powder. Bowman hadn't met any of the other Rebellion members except for the idiot West. Hotch sighed because he knew Kahlan was going to be really pissed that Daniels was truly behind the powder. _Son of a bitch won't even know how much danger he's in until it's too late._ It pissed him off, though, because he was worried about whether or not Daniels was truly in charge of it all. _I guess we won't know until Kahlan gets a chance to question him._ He silently hoped that Kahlan didn't let her anger over the whole thing get to be too much and kill him before they could find out for sure. _Nah, she'll want him to suffer. She'll find out._ He shuddered at the thought.

He straightened in his seat when the first would be assassin was brought into the room to Chuck. Chuck smiled menacingly, and the man swallowed hard as the guard put him in the seat opposite Chuck at the little table.

"We already know your name, and we know that you are part of Daniels' SWAT team. What I really want to know is exactly what Daniels said and did to get you to turn into a killer. Or are you and his whole team dirty?" The man didn't say anything as he stared at Chuck. Chuck got up from his seat and pulled something out of his pocket. Hotch couldn't see it well enough to figure out what it was, but he didn't think it was a knife. "I'm going to ask you again, Officer Williams, but I do need to warn you that if you don't answer, you will regret it."

Cam tensed in his seat, and Hotch knew that he knew what was in Chuck's hand.

"Fuck you!" Williams blurted out defiantly.

Chuck smiled and advanced on him. He grabbed he man by the hair and shoved whatever was in his hand under the man's jaw. Hotch saw the man convulse as pain and fear clearly made its way onto Williams' face. Hotch figured the man would cry out, but he didn't. "Is that a taser?" Hotch asked Cam.

Cam chuckled nervously. "Sort of," is all he offered.

Hotch looked at him questioningly, but Cam was focused on the screen. Hotch shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

Chuck finally withdrew the object, and Williams' head went to his chest as he panted to try and get past the pain. "I think you were going to tell me about Daniels," Chuck started as he squatted down in front of the man to look him in the eyes.

Williams wouldn't look at him, and Chuck put the object onto the man's thigh. The man's head snapped up as he convulsed again, and Hotch could see the man's jaw clenched tight. After about five seconds, Chuck removed it and Williams started panting again. "What did Daniels say that made you go after Agent Hotchner?"

Williams took a few deep breaths as he licked his lips. "He promised a hundred thousand to whoever killed him first." Williams' voice cracked and Hotch wasn't sure if it was fear or damage from Chuck's chosen weapon.

"A hundred thousand? I heard ten thousand," Chuck told him as he shifted a little closer to Williams. Williams swallowed hard, but he didn't answer. Chuck reached out with lighting speed and slammed the object into Williams' manhood. The scream that erupted from his thrown back head made Hotch cringe. He had heard screams of pain before, but the noise coming through the monitors sounded like a scream of a tormented soul in hell, and the look of sheer terror on the man's face almost made Hotch's own balls want to crawl up inside him. He felt his stomach lurch, and he suddenly regretted eating breakfast.

Finally, Chuck removed the object, and the man slumped in the seat. For a moment, Hotch thought the man had passed out, but the man started shaking his head as Chuck leaned his head in closer to him. "You don't want me to do that again?"

"Please. . . Please don't," Williams pleaded weakly.

"When did Daniels promise you all a hundred thousand?"

"After you all hit the lodge," he admitted in a shaky voice.

Chuck stood up suddenly. He looked at the camera and Hotch knew he was looking at him. He ran a hand through his hair and went back to the seat on the other side of the table. He tapped the table to get Williams to look at him. Williams did, and then swallowed hard. "How did you get that message?"

Hotch knew why Chuck was rattled over the news. If Daniels was in custody, then how did he get the information to his team or anyone else for that matter?

"We got a text from him," Williams told him still panting.

"We have his phone. I'll tell Sam to see if it's still on it," Cam told Chuck through his earwig.

"Did Daniels have a phone on him when Morgan and Mina got him?" Hotch asked Cam. Cam brought up something on his laptop and searched through the files. He shook his head as he found the right one. "His pockets were empty," Cam told him as he looked at Hotch. Hotch knew what he was thinking. _Who the hell has his phone?_


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

Kahlan was lying in her bed, trying to shield her eyes from the lights. She still had the sunglasses on, but she was truly considering breaking the lights above her. Kahlan looked at Hamill dubiously. "What now?" Hamill had come into the room looking a little upset.

"While almost everything in your blood work is improving. I'm still not happy with the results from the liver test."

"So the lights have to stay?"

Hamill smiled sadly. "I'm sorry but, yes. Your liver enzymes are improving, but just not as rapidly as your other organs."

Kahlan shrugged. "It regenerates itself, doesn't it? It'll straighten itself out soon enough."

Hamill raised her brows in surprise and then smiled. "You sure do know a lot about the body, but you're right, it does. It just may take it a little while longer than everything else to heal fully."

"And it can finish healing at home. I want out of here," she told the doctor truthfully.

Hamill appraised her. "I know, Mrs. Hotchner, but you still need the treatments we can give you here."

Kahlan gave her a look that told her she didn't agree, but she didn't argue about it. "When you wake up Joey, will she have to go through anymore treatments?"

Hamill smiled. "If her blood work stays as good as it right now, then no, she'll be free to leave."

Kahlan didn't like the way Hamill stressed the 'she'll'. "How are the others?"

Hamill smiled again. "Not quite as far as your daughter, but definitely on the road to recovery."

"Good," Kahlan told her as she looked towards the hallway.

Hamill reached out and patted Kahlan's leg. "Try to get some rest. And make sure you eat everything you're given today. You need to build your strength back up."

Kahlan huffed. "Then make sure it actually has some flavor."

Hamill chuckled. "You haven't been eating, your stomach needs to adjust," she told her as she headed for the door.

"Can I have something brought in?" Kahlan asked with a smile before her hand reached the knob.

Hamill turned back to her. "Nothing fried," she told her sternly.

"Alright. I know this great little Italian place that makes some mean pasta. I could have some brought for us all."

Hamill's brows rose as she considered it. "I think everyone would like that."

Kahlan smiled and took out her phone.

**XXXXX**

By the end of the day, Hotch had a headache. They had used Williams' phone and traced the text back to the phone supposedly owned by Daniels, but the trace lead them to a phone that couldn't be traced past a five mile radius because it was set up like a lot of government issued phones and the signal randomly bounced off several available towers around it. Questioning the other would be assassins lead them back to Daniels. While the evidence pointed to Daniels being in charge, Hotch's gut wouldn't let him believe it. He knew there was still someone else out there who was still calling the shots.

The day had also provided them with two more would be assassins. Questioning them led to a website offering the $100,000 reward and instructions on where to find the target and how to claim the reward. The whole BAU team, Will, Mina, Chuck, and Cam all gathered around a table in a warehouse. They were eating a dinner of pizza and beer as they discussed the day's findings.

"I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty pleased with myself to know I had pissed someone off so much that they'd be willing to put that kind of price on my head," Chuck told Hotch with a grin.

Hotch shook his head. "Yeah. It makes me sleep so much better at night," he told him sarcastically.

"We weren't able to trace the website any better than the phone," Cam told them, and they could all tell he was upset about it.

"Well, if you two couldn't do it, then it has to be someone with over the top skills," Mack told him with a sympathetic smile. Cam just huffed.

"He doesn't have to have the skills, just the right equipment," Garcia pointed out. "We can shut it down though."

"Couldn't we just have someone claim to accomplish the task and go in to get the reward?" Mina asked after she took a drink of her beer.

Chuck and Morgan both smiled to let her know they liked it.

"Who would it be? The leader could still be someone from the RRT," Reid pointed out.

"Hell, it could be anyone. We would have to bring in somebody completely new," Will pointed out.

"And then we'd have to make it public that Hotch has died," JJ added.

They all tried to think about who they could bring in and trust.

"Why don't we just question Daniels now? He's bound to know who is in charge." Mack asked the group thinking that was the obvious solution.

Hotch watched as everyone's gaze turned to him. He put his napkin on the table and stood up. He took out his phone as he walked away from the group.

"Because Kay wants to question him," Chuck told her quietly.

Hotch put the phone to his ear and waited for his wife to answer. After three rings, he started to think she wasn't going to, but the call connected before the fifth. "Hey, Babe. What took so long?"

"These scrubs don't have pockets, and my phone was on the bed. Why? What's going on?"

"Why do you think something's going on?"

"I can hear the tension in your voice."

He sighed. "How mad would you be if someone else questioned Daniels?"

She chuckled. "If you need answers now, go for it. I didn't exactly want to _question_ him anyway."

He shuddered because he knew what she really wanted to do to Daniels. "Are you sure?"

"Let Cam do it. That will shock him so much that it will throw him off a little."

He could imagine the evil smile on her face. "I was thinking about being in there, too."

"No!" She demanded. "I know you want to show him you're alive and unhurt despite his $10,000 reward, but you can't trust everyone at that facility. Until the leader is caught, you should not be seen."

He bit his lip. "It's been upped to $100,000."

"What?!"

"Yeah, found out today."

He heard her cuss under her breath, but he went ahead and explained what they had found out. Once he was done, he knew she was pissed. "We're discussing it now," he tried to sound confident, but with everything they had found out, he was having trouble actually feeling that way.

"Chuck or Cam is bound to know someone you all could bring in to kill you," she assured him. "With a website inviting every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a gun to go after you, you'll never get anything accomplished besides arresting more idiots."

"We'll question Daniels first thing and if need be, we'll set up the hit."

"You're not alone wherever you're staying are you?"

He could hear the worry in her voice. "No, Chuck isn't letting me out of his sight."

She sighed. "How the hell did this go from terrorists destroying shit to them concentrating on you?"

He huffed. "I have no idea."

"I mean, I'm glad they've stopped their destruction, but. . ."

"I know."

"It has to be someone you know."

"I know."

"Let me talk to Chuck."

Hotch yelled for the younger man. Chuck came up looking wary, but Hotch handed him the phone and went back to the table to tell Cam that Kahlan wanted him to question Daniels.

"Hey, Kay," Chuck said trying to not let the worry into his voice.

She took a deep breath. "I know you have Hotch's back, but you need to be extra careful."

"I am," he assured her.

"I think he's worried and that worries me."

"I know. I've got Sam helping, too."

"Maybe you should call a couple of your buddies to help keep watch from a distance."

He chuckled. "I don't Hotch would like that."

"He doesn't have to know."

He chuckled again. "I see."

"Let me talk to Cam."

"Alright. Try not to worry so much. I won't let them harm a hair on his head."

She sighed deeply. "I know you'll do your best. Thanks, Chuck."

"No problem," he told her and then yelled for Cam.

"Let me guess, you want to watch and interact with the interrogation?" Cam asked her as soon as he had the phone to his ear.

She giggled. "You know me so well. You can do that, right?"

"Of course I can. I'll be by in the morning with everything."

"Thanks, Cam. Let me talk to Hotch again."

"See you tomorrow," he told her and then took the phone back to Hotch.

"Hey, Babe," Hotch said as soon as he had the phone back.

"Don't come here tonight. You need to stay off the streets."

"I'm fine. No one knows when I'm on the move."

"Yeah but someone may be watching here on the off chance that you might show up."

"I'll be fine. I want to say goodnight to my girls."

"You can tell me now. You don't need to risk yourself by being out. . ."

"I'm coming whether you want me to or not, Kahlan."

She huffed. "You can be a stubborn ass, you know that?"

He chuckled. "Yep. Just like you."

She chuckled. "Yeah, we are suited perfectly for each other, aren't we?'

"Yep. That just proves we were made for each other."

"Just watch yourself, please," she pleaded.

"I will. I'll be over to see you when we're done here."

"Alright, I love you."

"I love you, too." He put his phone back in his pocket, but it vibrated before he got back to the table. He took it out and smiled. 'Be safe!' Kahlan texted him.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

Hotch didn't stay with Kahlan too long because it was already late by the time he got there and he wanted to get an early start. Before he got to his hotel, though, his phone vibrated. Kahlan sent him a link to another song with the text that said: 'Listen to this when you lay down and think of me.' He grinned and put his phone away until he was ready to try and get some sleep. Once he had showered and dressed for bed, he took his phone out and clicked the link that took him to Faith Hill's 'Breathe'. He relaxed as the slow love song played softly. _One more night, Babe, and I will feel you breathing against my skin again._ He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep thinking about his wife.

Hotch reached for his phone to shut off the alarm. He groaned as he put it back on the nightstand. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and suddenly felt someone watching him. His head snapped to the left and Dave smiled at him. "Bout time you wake you lazy ass up."

Hotch sat up as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Damn, Dave, you're getting to be as bad as Kahlan. I didn't even hear you come in."

Rossi got up and handed Hotch a tall cup of coffee. "I can imagine you're pretty exhausted."

"I really hope we get something substantial from Daniels today. I would be nice to get this thing wrapped up," Hotch told him after taking a long drink of the coffee.

"Yeah, I actually miss our normal unsubs, and I didn't even think that was possible," Rossi told him with a smile as he sat down beside Hotch.

"You and me both. I will never again complain about a case taking longer than a few days."

Rossi chuckled and patted him on the leg. "Get ready so we can get this over with."

Hotch took another drink of his coffee and then got up to get ready.

XXX

Hotch waited in the van with Bee; Rossi, Chuck, and Morgan were going to Daniels' cell to get him; and Cam was waiting in the interrogation room. Chuck and Morgan were chatting about the latest preseason football game and Rossi just quietly walked behind them. Chuck paused in his iteration about the Bears not having a decent team again, to grab the door handle to hallway that held all of their detainees. Before he could open the door, though, Rossi lunged for it and held it shut. "What the hell, Rossi?" Chuck asked him as he rubbed his hand that Rossi smashed while trying to keep the door closed.

"What is that?" Rossi asked desperately as he pointed through the glass of the door down the hallway.

Morgan and Chuck both looked to see what had the older man so upset. "Son of a bitch!" Chuck yelled and took out his phone.

"Looks like a gas container to me. What the hell is going on?" Morgan asked suddenly very pissed. Rossi shook his head to let him know he was just as confused and took out his phone.

Hotch grabbed his phone. "What's wrong?" He asked as soon as the call connected from Chuck.

"Rossi's getting biohazard down here. It looks like there's a gas container in the cell hall."

"What?!" Hotch yelled. _No! _"Don't go in there!"_ How the hell?_

"Duh! I'll get Cam. He can look through security footage."

"Alright. Can you tell if anyone's alive?"

"I don't think so. Seems way too quiet."

_God damn it!_ "Alright. Get out here as soon as you get Cam."

"Yep," Chuck told him and then ran to the interrogation room.

XXX

Once he realized they were all not going to fit in the van, Chuck led the group of severely pissed off people to a storage building down the street. They all gathered around Cam's laptop as he brought up surveillance footage from the hallway. They watched as someone swiped a badge to get the door open, and Cam split the screen in half and brought up the badge logs. "Badge belongs to a Lt. Riley, USN," Cam told them as the Lieutenant's ID came up onto the screen. No one said anything as they watched the person walk to the middle of the hall and take off a backpack.

"Well, he definitely knows where the cameras are," Rossi pointed out. All they ever saw from the cameras going down the hallway were of the person's back.

"Does that look like a woman to any of you?" Hotch asked. The ID belonged to a female.

"There's the container, but if he or she sets it off, won't he be gassed, too?" Bee asked.

"Doesn't look like she is wearing a mask," Chuck pointed out.

They watched in silence as the person bent down and did something with the container and then quickly left keeping their head the whole way. Within ten seconds, a gas started pouring out of the container. Hotch shook his head slowly and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Rossi slammed a hand down on the table in frustration, and Chuck kicked a box that was apparently offending him across the room.

"I don't think that was a woman," Bee offered. "From the looks of the ID picture, Riley has decent sized boobs. I don't see any boobs on the person in the hallway."

Cam rewound the footage and zeroed in on the only side view he could get. "I agree," he told her.

"We have to find this Lt. Riley. She might have given her badge to someone," Hotch started as he headed for the door.

"I can do that. You're supposed to be in the hospital," Chuck told him running up to him and grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving.

Hotch ran his hand through his hair roughly. "I'm getting real tired of hiding."

Rossi walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know, but it's necessary."

Hotch huffed, but nodded to Chuck, so Chuck went out the door.

"Do you see that hitch in the footage?" Cam asked Bee as he rewound the footage and then started it in slow motion. Everyone walked up to see what Cam was talking about.

"Yeah, could the footage have been altered?"

Cam played the footage again as he stared at the screen intently. He shook his head. "I don't know, but I'll run some software on it.

"You think that someone did something else in the hall and their covering it up?" Rossi asked trying to figure out what Cam and Bee were thinking.

"Possibly," Cam offered as his fingers started flying across the keys.

XXX

"I know that everyone back at Walter Reed is on the mend, but you didn't have to find us more work to do," Hamill tried joking with Hotch.

"Sorry," Hotch told her dryly. "What is it?"

"We won't know for sure until we run tests, but by the looks of the bodies, I would say Botulism."

"What?!" Hotch asked her desperately. They'd had a Botulism case before, so he knew enough about it. "That can be dispersed in gas form?"

"I would say it was an aerosol, but from what I know of it, the countries that have been trying to develop it in that form haven't had any luck with it."

Hotch shook his head. "Do you think Bowman could have been behind this, too?"

Hamill considered it a moment. "His specialty was infectious diseases, not bacteria, but I really would not want to hazard a guess. The only good thing about the aerosol form is that it doesn't live very long. The hallway is clear if you all need to get in there."

"Morgan suited up and went in as they got here. Every prisoner is accounted for," Rossi told Hotch. They had speculated that the spot in the footage may have been a cover for someone breaking out one or more of the prisoners.

"Daniels and Bowman?" Hotch asked knowing the answer but asking anyway.

"Every one of them."

Hotch shook his head again and rubbed his temples. He was starting to get a headache.

"Well, I am going to head back with the first load of victims. As soon as I have a definite COD, I'll let you know," Hamill told Hotch and then headed for the door.

"Thank you, Dr. Hamill."

Hotch walked back to the table and sat down roughly in folding metal chair. _Not only do we have to worry about them wanting to kill me, we have to worry about them releasing that shit on the public! What the hell is going on?_

"You better call Kay. She knows something is going on, and I texted her that you would let her know as soon as you got a chance," Cam told Hotch without pausing in his analysis of the footage.

"I guess I should just head over there. Once she finds out, there won't be any chance of keeping her there," Hotch told them in a defeated tone.

"You're going to wait for Chuck, right?" Cam asked him a tone that told him he should wait.

Hotch sat back down. "Yes. She'll kick my ass if I show up without him."

Rossi gave him a small smile and sat down next to him. "As soon as you head over there. I get the team and we'll start trying to come up with our next move."

"Should we go ahead and try to set up the hit?" Cam asked as he finally pushed away from his laptop.

"You get anything from the footage?" Hotch asked him quickly.

"It looks like a hiccup in the recording is all. Nothing has been edited. I know a few people we could use."

Hotch shook his head. "Not yet."

A few minutes later, Chuck finally came in the door looking extremely pissed.

Hotch stood up. "What did you find?"

"Lt. Riley was awol from work this morning, and when I went to her address, I found her door kicked in. She was dead in her living room."

"Oh my God," Hotch mumbled under his breath as he rubbed the back of his neck. He finally looked at Chuck again. "How?"

Chuck swallowed hard. "Her throat was cut."

"Did you get the police?" Rossi asked him.

"Yeah, I made an anonymous tip on my way back here."

"What the hell is going on?" Hotch asked no one in particular. "None of this makes any sense!" He screamed as he threw his hands up into the air and walked towards the back of the room.

Rossi, Chuck, and Cam all shared a look. They all agreed with Hotch.


	48. Chapter 48

*Sorry this update was so long in coming. I guess traveling half way across the country finally caught up with me as I got sick. All better now, though, so I will be updating regularly again. Oh yeah, I got pictures of Kahlan's sisters up on the web page finally. (Daddy Lump, too ) Oh, and older versions of the kids on the _Pandemonium Arises_ page. Go check it out!

**Chapter 48**

As soon as Hotch, Cam, and Chuck all walked into Kahlan's room, she knew something was horribly wrong, and she was instantly pissed. Pissed for not being there to help, pissed for knowing someone had targeted her husband, and pissed because something had stopped them from questioning Daniels. "What happened?" She asked her husband as she went up to him.

"Get changed and get your stuff. I don't want to talk here," Hotch told her solemnly.

She eyed him warily. She knew it was really bad if he was letting her leave the hospital before the agreed upon time. She took a deep breath as she shot a look to Chuck and Cam, then grabbed her bag, and went to the bathroom to change. She emerged with her hair back in a ponytail, black cargo pants, her black Converse, and a gray t-shirt.

Hotch couldn't tell if she was armed or not, but he figured she was. "I promised Hamill you'd be back tonight because she wants to run some more blood work and for you to get another dose of IV meds," he told her as he went to her and put his hands on her waist.

"I'm not staying after it then."

He gave her a look. "Babe. . ."

"I'll get the meds and give them my blood, but I am not sleeping in that bed again," she told him with just enough of an edge in her voice that told him she wasn't backing down.

He sighed as he studied her face. "Alright. Let's go," he told her as he grabbed her hand in one of his and her bag in his other and started for the door.

She grabbed her bag from him and handed it to Chuck. "Take this. I want to tell Joey goodbye." Chuck nodded as he took the bag and Kahlan led Hotch into Joey's room.

Hamill was in there listening to Joey's chest. She finished and then looked at them with a smile. "She's breathing just fine on her own since we took her off the ventilator, but I want to make sure she continues that way for the rest of the day. If she's still doing great, we'll wake her up tomorrow."

Hotch pulled Kahlan into a hug. "Finally some good news." Even with everything that had happened, it didn't stop the smile from forming on his face.

Kahlan hugged him back and then turned to Hamill. "Thank you so much, Dr. Hamill."

"You can thank me by being back here tonight to take of yourself," Hamill told her with a knowing look.

"Yes, Ma'am. I promise."

Hamill finally smiled. "Ok, then, go take care of whatever you need to, but be back here by ten."

Kahlan looked at her watch. "By ten," she agreed and Hamill left the room. They both went up to Joey's bed. "Hear that, Pumpkin? Tomorrow," Kahlan told her as she brush some of Joey's hair away from her face.

Hotch grabbed Joey's hand. "God, it's good to see that damn machine not hooked up to her anymore."

Kahlan looked at him as he wiped a tear from his eye. "That was one of the scariest things I have ever seen," Kahlan agreed as she went and put her arm around Hotch's waist. She gave him a squeeze. "Come on, I only have nine hours before I have to be back. Let's see if we can figure out what's going on," she told him and leaned down to give her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "Love you, Pumpkin."

Hotch leaned down and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "Love you, Angel. We'll be back later. You be good," he added with a chuckle. He grabbed Kahlan's hand and led her out of the room.

"You do know the only reason she's being good is because she's unconscious, right?" Kahlan joked as he led her out the back way.

"Yep," he chuckled again.

XXX

Once they were at the warehouse, Hotch, Chuck, and Cam told her about everything that had happened. She listened in silence, and they all knew she was getting madder by the minute. Once they were done she stood up roughly and started to pace. "So that son of a bitch is dead," she shook her head, and they knew she was pissed because she didn't get to get her revenge on him.

"Sorry, Babe," Hotch told her as he walked up behind her and put his hands on her waist.

She shook her head some more. "He's dead, and while that was my goal, I just wished you had gotten a chance to question him."

He turned her around to face him. "I know."

"How could they know you were finally going to question him?"

He shrugged. "I don't see how anyone could have known. It had to be just dumb luck."

She pulled away from him and eyed him warily. "You don't believe in coincidences any more than I do. Who all knew?"

"Just us."

She turned to Cam and Chuck. "Who knew specifically?"

"His team, Will, Mina, and us two," Chuck told her.

"You can't possibly think that. . ." Hotch started.

"No, of course not," she told him quickly as her eyes darted around. "Did you tell Jim?"

"No. I was going to give him an update once I had something to report. It can't be him," Hotch insisted.

"No," she agreed. "But it could be someone connected to his office."

"If he didn't know, then none of his people could have."

She nodded and then turned to Cam. "Neither you or Pen put anything about it in the computer?"

Cam shook his head. "No, of course not."

She shook her head. "Then ho. . ." she started and then fixed Chuck with a look.

"What?" Chuck asked quickly not liking the look.

The questionable look slowly turned to anger and she grabbed Cam by the collar and pulled him in close. Hotch shot a look to Chuck and Chuck shrugged. They could tell she whispered something to Cam and then he nodded. She let him go, and he immediately went out the door.

"What?" Hotch asked desperately.

She held up a finger and mouthed the word 'wait'.

His brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what she was doing. He could tell Chuck had no idea what was going on either, so he didn't feel completely lost.

Within seconds Cam came back in holding something, and Hotch could tell Chuck knew what it was as he shot a concerned look to Kahlan. She motioned for Cam to go to Hotch. Hotch shot her a concerned look of his own but she held up a finger and gave him a look to stop him from questioning what was happening. Hotch swallowed hard as he watched Cam approach him with the foot long device. Chuck came up behind him quickly and grabbed Hotch's arms and directed them out away from his body. "Assume the position," he half laughed in a whisper in Hotch's ear. Hotch glanced at him out of the corner of his eye as he watched Cam turn the machine on and then ran it all along him like a metal detector. After going over every inch of Hotch's body, Cam looked at Kahlan and shook his head. She motioned for him to do Chuck and himself, too, so he did. After that, she motioned to herself and her bag on the floor. Once he was down with that he motioned to the rest of the room, and she nodded.

After what seemed like forever, he turned the device off. "It's clean," he announced.

"You think someone bugged one of us?" Chuck asked before Hotch could ask anything.

"That has to be it. How else would they have known?"

"We're good?" Hotch asked quickly.

"Yeah, _we_ are."

"There's no way anyone in this room yesterday would have brought something in here for. . ." Hotch started to argue.

"It could have been planted on them without them knowing," she insisted.

He shook his head. He was about to say that there was no way anyone on his team or their friends could not have known, but he knew that was untrue. As his brain tried to process what it could all mean, there was one thought that haunted him. _Who and the hell is really in charge, and what are they doing with equipment like that?_

Kahlan studied his face. "I could be completely wrong, Aaron. I could just be getting paranoid," she told him as she went up and grabbed his hand.

He nodded as he took a deep breath. "Only one way to find out, though, right?"

She nodded. "At least we'll know for sure."

He took out his phone. "You want them here?" He asked them as he looked at the three faces around him.

"Here, I'll do it," Cam told him as he took Hotch's phone.

Hotch nodded and stepped away from them as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hun," Kahlan started as she went to him. "We need to. . ."

"I understand why we need to check, I do. I just don't like what it means if it is true," he told her as he put his arm around her.

She looked at him knowingly. "I know, but we'll figure it out." He nodded slowly and she knew he was thinking a thousand different things at once.

XXX

After getting the urgent text from Hotch, the whole warehouse group waited in the parking lot. They each cast glances at each other, but the text told them not to talk about the case or anything important until further notice, so no one asked any questions as they all waited to see what had happened. Rossi, Morgan, Mina, JJ, and Will had already been called into the warehouse, so Reid and Mack were the last two waiting. Mack impatiently chewed on her lip as Reid quietly read a book.

Chuck stepped out and called Reid to him. Reid sent Mack a sympathetic smile and left her all alone with her imagination as she watched him, too, disappear into the warehouse.

After about ten minutes, Morgan came out and called her in. "What the hell is going on Morgan?" She asked desperately as she followed him into the warehouse.

"No worries," Morgan told her with a smile.

Mack huffed, but followed him without another word. She eyed everyone warily as they all watched her come into the room. She hadn't felt that nervous when she interviewed for the open spot in the BAU. She saw Kahlan with Hotch and she got even more worried. _God, if she's out of the hospital then it has to be bad. What is going on?_

Chuck went up to her and took her purse off her shoulder. She was about to ask him what he was doing, but he put a finger to his lips and she knew not to say anything. Cam walked up to her and Morgan motioned for her to hold her arms out to the side. She did and Cam ran the detector over every inch of her. He smiled at her and then shook his head to Kahlan and Hotch. Hotch smiled, but Mack couldn't tell what Kahlan was thinking. Kahlan pointed to Mack's purse, and Cam nodded. "What's th. . ." Mack started but stopped as Kahlan held up a finger to halt her sentence.

They all watched in silence as Cam ran the device over her purse. Kahlan hung her head as the device's green lights flashed to yellow and red rapidly. Mack looked at the faces around her and she knew that the lights weren't good. Her heart started racing as Cam picked up the purse and emptied it contents on the table. Kahlan, Chuck, and Mina approached the table as JJ went to Mack. Mack's questioning look to JJ made her shake her head to let her know she wasn't sure what it all meant either.

Kahlan and them spread out the contents so Cam could run the device over each of them. Kahlan picked up a pen and Cam held the device next to it and it blinked red. Kahlan shut her eyes as her hand slowly closed around the pen. She then shot Chuck a look and Chuck went to a tub next to the table. They all watched as he retrieved a small box from it and took it to Kahlan. She opened the box, put the pen in it, and closed it. As soon as a green light appeared on the lid, she turned to Mack. "Where did you get the pen?"

Mack licked her lips. "What the hell is going on? What the hell is that thing?" She asked as she gestured to Cam.

Hotch went to Mack and put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Where did you get the pen, Mack?"

"Oh, come on. You can't actually think that Mack. . ." Morgan started with a tone that told everyone he thought the whole thing sucked.

"Of course not," Kahlan told him as she went to Mack. She gently moved Hotch away from his youngest team member, grabbed her hand and steered her to a seat by the table. "We couldn't figure out how they knew your all's plans, so we figured someone had to get a bug on one of you."

"Sort of like the one you placed on that guy in the bar," Chuck told her as he sat on the table in front of her.

Mack nodded her understanding to them both because she wasn't sure if she could trust her voice.

"So we pulled each of you in to check you," Kahlan continued.

"And you only found something on me?" Mack finally asked.

Kahlan nodded. "That pen probably has a listening device in it."

Mack stood up quickly. "I swear, Hotch," she started as she looked at her boss. "I didn't know!"

Hotch went to her and sat her back down. "I know that, Mack. We're not saying you did. I trust you. I would have never let you stay on the team if I didn't," he told her seriously, and she calmed down a little. "But we need to know where you got it."

Mack looked like she was about to cry. "I don't know. . ." she started as she looked at the content of her purse still on the table. She shook her head and looked at Kahlan. "I really don't. I have the bad habit of picking up pens from anywhere."

Kahlan looked at the contents scattered on the table. The ten plus pens that were held in the little purse attested to that fact. "Well, at least we know how they knew," Kahlan told her with a small smile as she got up and went to Cam.

"Can't you trace it back to whoever is listening?" Mina asked them. With working for the CIA, she knew about bugs and such things.

"Possibly. It depends on what type it is," Cam told her as he picked up the box containing the pen. "None of ours can be traced," he told her with a look.

"Come on," JJ told Mack as she grabbed her arm. "Maybe a cognitive interview will help you remember."

Mack nodded weakly as she got up to follow JJ. After a few steps, she pulled to a halt. "So. . . So Daniels and all them. . . That's my fault?" Mack asked as her eyes watered as the reality of the situation hit her.

"No!" Hotch told her quickly and everyone else started agreeing with him.

"But they knew you were finally going to go question him because of me."

"Mack, just stop," Hotch started as he took her by the shoulders. She started shaking her head and disagreeing. "Jamie!" He said more forcibly, and she finally shut up and looked at him. "This is not your fault. I don't know who is behind this or exactly what is going on, but none of this is your fault!"

She searched his eyes and finally nodded weakly. JJ put her arm around her and led her to the back of the warehouse.

"Kind of changes things a bit doesn't it?" Rossi asked aloud as they all watched JJ and Mack walk away.

"What do you mean?" Reid asked him.

"We've gone from a bunch of rednecks shooting and blowing things up to someone bugging us and trying to kill Hotch."

They all exchanged looks and then looked at Hotch. He sighed deeply and sank into the chair Mack had just vacated. Kahlan went to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure this out, Hun."

"Will we?" He asked in a tone that told everyone that he wasn't so sure.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

The whole group stood or sat around the make shift meeting room in the warehouse in silence. The only thing Mack could remember for sure was picking up the pen off of someone's desk in the bullpen. They all knew it didn't help, though, because of all of the different people who had been in and out of the bullpen since the whole thing started. Hotch sat with his elbows on his knees and his hands cradling his forehead as he looked at the floor trying to process what it all meant.

"Maybe they weren't trying to bug us. Maybe they just wanted to bug the bullpen," JJ suggested as she ran her hand absently on her husband's back.

"It has to be someone with training, right?" Will asked as he looked at Mina, Kahlan, Cam, and Chuck with a look that said: spies used bugs, not rednecks.

"Anyone can buy stuff like that. My God have you seen the places online that sell that shit?" Chuck asked him defensively.

"Everyone just calm down," Kahlan started as she pulled a seat up and sat beside her husband. "Once Cam gets a good look at it, we'll probably know where it came from."

Rossi sat down next to Hotch and looked at Will. "We've ran across stuff like this on other cases. Chuck's right; that thing could have come from anywhere."

Will took a deep breath but his face told them he didn't agree.

"I'll go see if I can get a reading on it before I take it apart. Maybe we can trace it back to whoever is listening," Cam told them as he grabbed the box and started for the door.

"Can't we just use it against them?" Hotch asked as he finally looked up and looked at Cam.

Cam froze in his tracks. "What do you mean?"

Kahlan smiled slyly as she stood up; she knew he'd been thinking while he was so quiet. She put her hand on her husband's shoulder. "Exactly what do you have in mind, Hun?"

"They can hear what we're discussing, right?" Hotch asked as he stood up and ran a hand over the back of his neck. Kahlan nodded as she smiled again. "So why not give them something they want to hear?"

**XXXXX**

By the time nine o'clock rolled around, they had come up with a plan to see if they could catch their listener as they all shared dinner of Chinese takeout and beer. They still had no idea who was behind the bug because it turned out to be untraceable, and Hotch argued that it might not have anything to do with him being a target because it was obvious that whoever was listening had to know that he was alright and not in the hospital. Chuck agreed, but Cam told them that just because they could listen, they might not know where they were, and that made Hotch stop and think again.

Finally, Hotch stood up and stretched his neck and shoulders. "Come on," he told Kahlan as he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a standing position.

"What? We haven't ironed it all out yet," she told him as she tried to pull away from him.

"And we're not going to tonight. Let Cam and them run with what they have planned in the morning. You need to get back to Walter Reed," he told her as he tightened his grip on her a little more.

"I think this is a little more important. . ." she started to argue.

"No it's not! You need to go back. . ."

She finally twisted away from him and took a step back from him. "I'm fine. We need to. . ."

He folded his arms across his chest and fixed her with his best stare. "You are going back," he told her in his best Unit Chief tone.

She crossed her arms and raised her brows at him. "Think you can make me?" She asked him slyly.

Chuck laughed and Hotch shot him a look that told him to shut up and he did.

"Alright, children," Rossi started as he stood up. Hotch and Kahlan both looked at him expecting him to back them up.

"Really, Rossi? You're gonna get in between them?" Morgan asked with a chuckle.

"No. They are going to behave like nice adults before I have to turn one of them over my knee," Rossi told them with a grin.

Kahlan huffed. "You wouldn't dare!"

"He doesn't need to," Hotch started and flashed Rossi a grin to show he'd won. Kahlan looked at him questioningly because she knew by his look that he had her, but she couldn't figure out how. "You promised Hamill."

Her shoulders slumped and she bit her lip as she shook her head. "You don't fight fair."

Hotch chuckled. "Nope," is all he said as he grabbed her bag and motioned to the door.

She gave him a feigned dirty look and headed for the door. "See you guys later," she told everyone. Chuck jumped up and quickly followed the couple out the door.

"I'm not staying overnight!" she insisted as she got in white SUV that Chuck had acquired the day before.

"You can stay at the hotel with me," Hotch told her as he climbed in the passenger seat with a grin.

"And you two don't need to talk about that in front of me!" Chuck demanded as he got in and started the vehicle.

Kahlan laughed and then reached up and started rubbing Hotch's neck. "This will work," she assured him as she kneaded his tight muscles.

"I sure hope so," he told her as he closed his eyes and let her manipulate his neck.

XXX

After receiving her bag of IV antibiotics and giving them four vials of blood, Kahlan and Hotch went in to tell Joey goodnight. "We'll be back tomorrow, Pumpkin," Kahlan told her as leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Well, I might be back," Hotch told her as he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Kahlan fixed him with a look. "You will be here, Aaron. I don't care what they find out!"

"As long as one of us. . ."

"No!" Kahlan told him as she grabbed his arm and pulled him away from Joey so they weren't arguing right next to her. "When she wakes up, you are going to be the first person she wants, and you will be here!"

"No she's not. You're. . ."

"Aaron, I have been Daddy's little girl! She is going to want you, and you will be here!" She told him forcibly.

He held up his hands in submission. "Ok!" Kahlan finally settled down as he agreed. "But I still say she asks for you first."

"We'll see," she told him and pulled him toward the door.

With a promise to Hamill to be back in the morning, Chuck took them to the hotel. "Just remember. I am staying in the next room," he told them with a grin as he stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Hotch shook his head and Kahlan laughed as she let herself fall back onto the bed on her back. "While I'm sure this bed sucks, it is going to be heaven compared to lying under those damn lights," she exclaimed as she took off the sunglasses and threw them onto the nightstand.

Hotch sat down next to her. "Everyone wanted to know why you were wearing them," he started. "I told them you pissed me off, and I gave you a black eye you were too embarrassed to be seen with," he joked as he pulled his tie off.

She laughed as she turned on her side and scooted closer to him. "I'm sure they all believed that."

He chuckled. "I think for a second, Mina actually did. I keep forgetting she hasn't spent as much time with us as everyone else has.

"God. Can you imagine that conversation between her and Derek?" She joked as she sat up and took her shoes off.

He chuckled again. "Could be pretty interesting to know what they all think of us, huh?" He asked as he leaned his shoulder up against hers.

"I would think Mina and Derek have an easier time than say Reid and Amy," she told him as she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. He sighed heavily. "What?" She asked him as she grabbed his chin and turned his face to her.

He looked at her a second and then had to avert his eyes. "When did Hamill say that's supposed to go away?"

She laughed as she let him go knowing her couldn't look her in the eyes yet. "She said it could take up to two weeks." She got up and sat down in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her. "What's bothering you so much?" She asked as she snuggled up to his chest.

"I really hope Mack doesn't take this to heart. She's too young to shoulder that kind of guilt."

"She'll feel guilty, but she'll get over it," Kahlan assured him.

"I hope so. She's really turned out to be a nice addition to the team. I'd hate to see her start to second guess herself."

"She's young and tough; she'll be fine," she told him as she turned to him and gave him a quick kiss.

He gave her a smile. "God, it's good to have you back in my arms," he told her as he pulled her to him more tightly.

"It's where I belong," she told him with a smile and then pulled away from him and stood up.

"And yet you pulled away," he said with a grin.

She grabbed his shirt front and pulled him up into a standing position. "You should take a shower to relax," she told him as she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the bathroom.

"Yeah? You going to join me?"

She giggled and they disappeared into the bathroom.

XXX

Hotch awoke to someone unlocking the hotel door. His right hand went to his pistol on the nightstand as his left arm closed around Kahlan tighter as his eyes never left the door. The door opened about an inch and then stopped. "I really hope you all are decent," came Chuck's voice in a little over a whisper from the other side of the door and then it opened all the way.

Hotch finally released the breath he'd been holding and let go of his pistol. "You almost got yourself shot," he told Chuck quietly as he slid out from under Kahlan and sat up.

Chuck looked at Kahlan's sleeping form. "Is she alright?" he asked desperately thinking that if she hadn't heard him come in that something was definitely wrong with her.

"Quiet down!" Hotch insisted.

"I heard you get your loud ass up over an hour ago," Kahlan started without even opening her eyes. Both men looked at her quickly; they had both thought she was still asleep. "I was trying to enjoy the company," she finished with a smile as she snuggled back up against the sitting Hotch and finally looked at Chuck.

He took an involuntary step back. "What the hell is wrong with your eyes?"

"Jesus Christ!" She said as she turned over and grabbed the sunglasses off the nightstand and put them on.

"That's why you're wearing them? To hide whatever the hell is actually wrong with you? Did the powder do that?"

She shook her head and sat up next to Hotch. He put his arm around her and smiled at Chuck. "It's all her evil finally making its way to the surface."

Chuck laughed.

She hit Hotch in the stomach. "Hey!" he chuckled as he rubbed his stomach.

"That wouldn't even begin to touch it," she told him as she stood up and took the tray of coffees from Chuck who was still laughing a little.

"Get ready. I'll take you guys to Walter Reed and then head over to see if the trap is going to work or not," Chuck told them as he pulled his coffee out of the tray and then left them.

Hotch stretched as he stood up and grinned at Kahlan.

"What?" she asked after she noticed his grin.

He walked up and put his hands around her waist. "Nothing. It's just real good to wake up beside you again."

She put down the cup and put her arms around his neck. "Yeah, and the shower wasn't too bad either."

He chuckled. "You think he heard anything?"

She giggled. "Nah. He wouldn't have some in here the way he did if he had."

He leaned down and gave her a kiss. "At least we were dressed."

She laughed as she let him go. "If we hadn't had been, I would have woke you when I heard him wake up."

"You weren't awake," he told her as he grabbed the other coffee and took a drink.

"You don't think so?"

"No. You didn't even tense when the knob turned," he told her with a raised brow indicating he thought she was full of it.

"It's because I knew it was him," she told him with a grin.

He studied her. "There's no way you knew it was him. Admit it, you weren't awake."

She raised her brows. "Bet me?"

He put his coffee down and studied her some more. He finally smiled and shook his head. "There's no way for you to prove it, so there's no reason to bet."

She stepped closer to him. "I bet you can put me in a room and have anyone you want walk up to the door, and if I know them well enough, I can tell you who it is before they can even reach for the handle."

He huffed. "No way."

"Bet me," she repeated with a cocky grin.

He licked his lips as he studied her some more. "Go get dressed."

"Chicken!" She told him playfully as she grabbed her bag and went to the restroom.

He shook his head as he watched her shut the door. _There's no way!_


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

After checking with the team and making sure everything was set up to try and trap whoever was listening through the bug, Hotch and Kahlan went to Walter Reed. Hamill was already in Joey's room and she turned a smile to them as they walked in. "She should be waking up any time, but she may be a little out of it for a little while. Once she's fully awake, I want to make sure she she's up and eating, drinking, and can go to the restroom before you can take her home."

Kahlan smiled and squeezed Hotch's hand. "So we just have to wait?"

Hamill nodded but fixed Kahlan with a look. "Yes, but you need to give me another blood sample. I still don't like your liver enzyme levels, and I want to check a couple more things."

Kahlan shoulders slumped, and Hotch shot her a worried look. She patted him on the chest. "I'll be fine. You sit with your daughter, and I'll go let the vampires have another feeding," she told him with a smile.

He shook his head at his wife as he walked over and pulled a chair up beside Joey's bed. He fixed Hamill with a look. "I want to know what the tests say."

She nodded and squeezed his shoulder as she led Kahlan out of the room.

Hotch sighed as he watched them leave. _I really don't want any more bad news!_ He picked up Joey's hand and a big smile spread across his face as she squeezed his hand back. He leaned up and moved the hair from her face. She scowled as his hand brushed across her cheek. He laughed because he imagined he looked just like that when he was waking up.

"Daddy?" She asked weakly.

"Right here, Angel," he told her as he squeezed her hand again. She smiled but didn't open her eyes. "How are you felling?" he asked her gently.

"Tired," she told him without looking at him.

He stroked her hair. "You sleep as long as you want. I'll be right here when you wake up."

"You sleep wit me?"

He stood up and picked her up. He smiled again when he saw Daddy Lump clutched tightly in her hand. "Anything for you, Angel." He laid down on the bed and she snuggled up to his chest, so he wrapped his arm around her. "You sleep. Mommy and Daddy will be right here."

"K" is all she said as she snuggled down closer and he knew she was out again. He smiled as he rubbed a hand up and down her back. _I could do this all day._ He sighed contently and smiled again.

Once Kahlan was done, she walked into Joey's room and smiled at the sight of her husband holding her daughter. He looked like he was asleep, too, so she quietly sat down in the chair next to the bed and waited for Joey to wake up.

About an hour and a half later, Joey reached up and rubbed her eyes. Hotch rubbed a hand down his face, too, and noticed Kahlan sitting next to him. She smiled a smile that said 'I told you so'. He shrugged and smiled back at her. "If half of my family would ever decide to wake up, we might be able to go home," Kahlan told them jokingly.

Joey opened her eyes and looked up at her father. "Hey, Daddy," she told him with a smile that showed her dimples.

"Hey, Angel," Hotch told her with his own dimples showing.

She reached up and hugged his neck tightly. He returned the hug as a tear escaped the corner of his eye. She pulled back away from him and looked at him. "You ok, Daddy?"

He smiled again. "I am now."

She looked around and finally remembered where she was. She pushed up off him quickly and almost fell out of the bed. "You can't be in here!"

Kahlan jumped up and stopped her from falling by putting a hand to her back. "It's fine, Pumpkin. He won't get sick," she told her quickly once she realized what had upset her.

She looked up at her mother suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

Hotch smiled and pulled her back to him. "Yeah, Angel. We're sure."

She looked back and forth between them; she finally relaxed and turned and reached out to Kahlan. Kahlan grabbed her and hugged her tightly as Joey hugged her neck. "I'm so glad you're finally awake," Kahlan told her as she too, shed a tear of relief.

Joey leaned back and gave Kahlan a strange look. She reached up and removed the sunglasses that were blocking her mother's eyes. She got a strange look on her face as she took in Kahlan's eyes. Hotch got up and put a hand on Joey's back. She looked at her father again and then looked back at her mother. "Did I sleep 'til Halloween?"

They both laughed. "No, Angel. Halloween is still a while away," Hotch assured her.

"Then why are your eyes like that?" She asked Kahlan.

Kahlan smiled. "Know how the powder made your tummy hurt?" Joey nodded. "Well, it did this to me." She figured that was a lot easier than explaining what had really caused all of the blood vessels in her eyes to rupture.

"Do my eyes look like that, too?" She asked excitedly.

Hotch laughed as he shook his head. _Only Joey would think it was cool._ He sighed. _No, Kahlan thinks it's cool, too._ "No, Angel. Your eyes look normal." He wasn't sure but it looked like she was disappointed.

"Does it hurt?" She asked Kahlan as she ran a hand over Kahlan's eyes.

"Nope. I don't feel a thing."

"Do you see everything in red?"

Kahlan laughed again. "While that would be cool, no, it's no different than normal. I even forget they are that way until someone looks at me like I'm a monster."

Joey nodded as she considered it. "It would look cool with your skull mask," she told her with a smile.

Hotch pulled her from Kahlan. "Come here, you," he told her as he hugged her again. She giggled as he nuzzled her neck. He finally held her out and looked at her seriously. "How do you feel?"

She licked her lips. "Thirsty."

They heard a laughed and they all turned to see Mark walk in the room. "I figured," he started as he got closer to them. "Juice or water?" He asked as he handed out a bottle of each for her to choose from.

"Juice, please," she told him with a smile.

Hotch sat her down on the bed and Mark let her take a few drinks. "Are you hungry?" They had been feeding her intravenously, but he knew that kind of nutrition never really satisfied anyone's actual hunger.

Joey squinted her eyes as she considered the question. "Not really," she finally told him with a shake of her head.

Hotch shot Kahlan a concerned look, but Mark smiled. "Don't worry. You'll be starving in no time. How about you get up and walk to your mom for me?"

Joey smiled and put the top back on her bottle of juice. She jumped from the bed expecting to land on her feet, but she stumbled and fell forward. Hotch grabbed her quickly before she hit the floor and stood her back up. "You ok, Angel?"

She gave him her Hotch stare and squared her shoulders. "I'm fine," she insisted. Kahlan giggled.

"You need to take it easy. You have been lying down for a while," Mark told her.

Joey huffed and walked a little unsteadily over to her mother. Kahlan picked her up with a smile. "That's my tough girl."

"Yep," Joey told her with a smile.

"Well, when you can walk around the hall without any help, then you'll be allowed to go home," Mark told her as he took the juice to her. "Drink this. You need it."

Joey smiled and took the juice. After she took a couple more drinks she pushed her way out of Kahlan's arms and held her hand out to Hotch. "You walk wit me, Daddy?"

Hotch smiled as he took her hand and let her lead him toward the door. "Just go slow. You don't need to hurry."

She huffed again and he glanced over his shoulder at Kahlan. 'She's just like you,' he mouthed. Kahlan just smiled and shrugged.

XXX

After an hour or so, Joey finally got hungry enough to eat, and went to the restroom, so Hamill finally gave her the green light to leave. Kahlan picked her up and headed for the door. Joey smiled over her shoulder at her father. Hotch smiled back at her, Daddy Lump was hanging from one hand and the little, scrub wearing, teddy bear was hanging from the other.

Hotch stayed back and looked at Hamill. "So how is Kahlan, really?"

Hamill watched as Kahlan disappeared with Joey around the corner and then looked at Hotch. "She's on the mend. I think she will be fine if she just takes it easy for a little while. She needs to let her body heal."

Hotch nodded as he looked toward the door. "I just hope I can get her to do it."

Hamill smiled and patted his arm knowingly. "Tell her she has to stay with Joey. Maybe if she concentrates on her daughter, she won't feel the need to do whatever it is that she does."

Hotch chuckled. "I wish it were that easy." He stuck out his hand and Hamill took it with a smile. "Thank you, Dr. Hamill. I don't know what I would have done without you and your team," Hotch told her sincerely.

She smiled. "Just keep those two out of trouble, and you'll be fine."

Hotch chuckled again and went to catch up with his girls.

"Good luck with trying to get all of this tied up," Hamill called after him. Hotch nodded as he went out the door. Hamill sighed and hoped it was the last time she had to see him.

XXX

"How's my girl?" Chuck asked as he threw Joey up into the air.

She giggled and landed in his hands. "I'm good."

"It's about time! I was getting tired of waiting. I almost picked another chess partner," he told her as he took her to the SUV.

She giggled again. "You wouldn't pick someone else. I'm your favorite."

"That's because you're the only one who will let him win," Hotch told her as he came up behind them.

"Hey!" Chuck yelled in mock offense and Joey giggled.

"Let's get out of here before Hamill comes up with another test she wants to run on me," Kahlan told them as she held open the door for Joey.

"What? Feel like a pin cushion?" Chuck asked as he put Joey in the back seat.

"More like a host and they were the parasites," Kahlan joked as she showed him the insides of both elbows were bruises marked where they had drawn blood several times throughout the ordeal.

"Damn, it looks like you might be a couple of quarts low," Chuck joked as he got in the driver's seat.

Hotch climbed in the front and Kahlan got in next to Joey. Chuck took them to Donna's and after Kahlan explained to Joey that they would be spending a few days at her aunt's, Joey didn't care; she just wanted to see her brothers.

Chuck had assured Hotch and Kahlan that discreet surveillance at Donna's house hadn't shown any unusual activity or interest from any source, so they all agreed it would be safe for Hotch to go at least for the rest of the day and night.

Hotch looked at Chuck questioningly. Chuck noticed him looking. "Nothing yet," is all he told him, and Hotch nodded with disappointment clearly on his face.

XXX

With all of the commotion surrounding them as they got out of the SUV, Hotch couldn't tell who was more excited, the boys or the dogs. While the boys hadn't seen their mother for a few days, they knew she was basically alright because she had talked to them on the phone and had texted them. They were still relieved to see her in person, though, but they couldn't hide their excitement at finally seeing their little sister again either.

Wyatt dropped to his knees and held on to Joey so tightly that Hotch almost stepped in to make sure Joey could breathe. They all watched as tears made their way down Wyatt's cheeks. Joey patted him on the back and let him hold her as long as he wanted.

Jack wrapped himself around Kahlan, but Sampson soon pushed his way between them and Kahlan laughed as she rubbed the Doberman's face and neck affectionately as he jumped up and put his paws on her shoulders. "You miss me, Boy?"

"I brought Daddy Lump back. Just like I promised, Wy," Joey told Wyatt as he finally wiped his face and pulled away from her.

"It's a good thing, too. Cause I would have hated to see what I would have done to you had you let something happen to him," Wyatt told her with a feigned stern look.

"You better take 'em, so nothing happens to him," she told him as she handed the stuffed elephant back to its original owner. Wyatt accepted it with a smile and stood up to let the eagerly waiting Jack have his turn at their little sister.

She smiled at Jack and he pulled her into his chest. Jack had to wipe his face, too, before he let her go. She looked to see where her mother was and pulled Jack's shirt down to get his ear next to her. "Did you feed Fuzzy?"

"Of course. He'll be glad to see you, too," he told her in a whisper.

Her dimples showed with her delight. "I knew I could count on you."

"That's what brothers are for," he told her matter-of-factly and took her hand to lead her to the door. Wyatt quickly grabbed her other hand, and they all went into the house together.

Hotch had put his arm around Kahlan as they watched their children.

"God, it's good to have the whole family together again," she told him.

"Yes it is. Come on," Hotch told her as she wiped her face and let him lead her into the house, too.

XXX

After a dinner of Donna's signature meal of homemade hamburger steaks, mashed potatoes, and broccoli, the Hotchners, the Miltons, and Chuck relaxed around the dining room table and family room. Jack and Wyatt disappeared for a moment and then came back in wearing brand new football jerseys with their names on the back. "We made the team," Jack told them proudly.

"Of course you did. Did you really have any doubts?" Kahlan asked them as she got up and pulled both of her boys into a hug.

"No, but it still felt good to actually see our names on the roster," Wyatt admitted with a grin.

Hotch took his turned at hugging them. "I am so proud of you guys. Donna and Mike have both told us how hard you guys have worked at practice."

"Guess what positions?" Wyatt asked with a giant grin.

Hotch studied him for a moment. He figured that Wyatt had made the starting lineup because of his size, but he was worried about Jack because he knew sixth graders usually didn't get the chance to start. "I bet you're on defense," Hotch finally told him.

"Nope," Jack told them with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

Kahlan and Hotch exchanged looks. "Ahhhh, offense?" Kahlan joked.

"Seriously, what positions do you think we have on the starting line up?" Wyatt asked them with a glance at Jack.

Kahlan looked at Donna and Mike, but they just smiled. She then looked at Hotch and he shrugged. "Just tell us."

"Jack is the starting quarterback," Wyatt told them proudly.

"And Wyatt is my leading running back," Jack finished.

"Oh my God, that's awesome guys!" Hotch yelled and got up to congratulate them again.

"We got ourselves a regular Danny White and Tony Dorsett," Kahlan told Hotch with a grin and she put an arm around each of the boys.

Hotch balked. "More like a Joe Theismann and John Riggins."

"No. I don't think so. You may like the Redskins, but I bet they play like Cowboys, but if you want newer, I'll say Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith," she insisted.

"I don't think so," Hotch started.

"Exactly," Wyatt spoke up.

"See?" Hotch told her with a grin of satisfaction.

"No, Dad. More like Drew Brees and Mark Ingram," Jack insisted with Wyatt nodding his agreement.

"What?!" Hotch and Mike both asked at the same time. Mike was also a diehard Redskin fan.

"You get that idea from your Uncle Will?" Kahlan asked them. They all knew that Brees and Ingram were current players for the New Orleans Saints.

"No. They're awesome," Wyatt told her.

Hotch and Kahlan shared a look.

"Don't you just hate it when they grow up and start to develop their own opinions?" Donna asked the wounded couple, and everybody laughed.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

Once the kids were in bed, and Joey insisted on sleeping with her brothers, Hotch, Kahlan, and Chuck sat around the dining room table. They had found out that their trap hadn't drawn anyone in, and they were all worried about what it actually meant.

"What if Daniels was the actual leader?" Chuck asked them after he took a drink of his beer.

Hotch shook his head. He had been wondering the same thing for a while. "But who texted his team about the hit on me then?"

Chuck bit his lip.

"Whoever planted that bug did not want you all to question Daniels, that's obvious," Kahlan mused.

"Can we really be sure about that, though? I mean, yes, the prisoners were killed immediately after we had decided to question Daniels, but the trap didn't bring anyone in. Maybe there isn't anyone listening anymore. What if it was just a coincidence?" Chuck argued.

"The trace on Daniels' phone shows that whoever has it is moving. It didn't send the text on its own," Hotch pointed out.

"What if it's just some nobody? Daniels could have lent his phone to anyone, and they are just trying to get back at you," Chuck pointed out.

"It still doesn't explain the whole Star Wars thing," Kahlan injected.

"But anyone could have been helping him with his propaganda," Chuck parried.

"True. So you think that Daniels is the main man?" Kahlan asked him.

"How do you explain the bug?" Hotch wanted to know.

Chuck pursed his lips. "That's what doesn't fit."

"Neither does the website. That didn't show up until after Daniels was in custody," Kahlan told them as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"But all of the terrorist stuff stopped with Daniels' capture, too. If there was still the true leader out there, we would still be dealing with that shit," Chuck told her as he got up and got another beer.

"So you think it's over?" Kahlan asked him as she accepted another beer from him.

Hotch took the other beer from him and sat it on the table without opening it.

"I think the terrorist stuff is," Chuck told her as he looked at Hotch.

"What are you thinking, Hun?" Kahlan asked as she put her hand on his arm.

"I'm worried that the terrorist stuff may just be getting back into full swing."

Kahlan and Chuck both looked at him questioningly. "Why is that. The last attack we knew of was the one we foiled at the lodge," Chuck told him.

"But the use of aerosol botulism in the hall is in itself an act of terrorism," Hotch told them.

"What was used?" Kahlan asked him slowly. She looked at Chuck. "You said it was a gas!"

Hotch looked back and forth between the two. "What difference does that make?"

"You're sure it was aerosol botulism?" Chuck asked him quickly.

"That's what Hamill said. I thought you knew." He was beginning to get a really bad feeling from the looks on the faces in front of him. "What difference does it make?"

"Because that mixed with an untraceable bug makes for a really scary scenario," Kahlan told him as she got up and started pacing.

Hotch looked at Chuck. "I don't follow. I never can when you all start talking in circles or code or whatever the hell you all call it that leaves us normal people in the dark."

Kahlan sat back down and looked at him. "We've seen aerosol botulism used before."

"Hamill said several countries had tried using it, but none of them were having any luck with it. I got the feeling it was something new." He noticed Chuck shot Kahlan a look. "What? Don't tell me you all have used. . ."

"NO!" Kahlan told him quickly. "But it has been around a lot longer than most people know. It was developed right here in the US."

"The CIA likes using it," Chuck told him.

Hotch's head snapped to him and then he looked back to Kahlan. "You're saying someone connected to the CIA is behind this?" He wasn't sure what they were implying. "There's no way. Morgan called in Mina and she brought her team, but. . ."

"No, of course not. I trust Mina. My God, I never would have introduced her to Derek if I didn't, but it doesn't have to be someone employed by them right now. Besides, Mina's not in that kind of team. She wouldn't have access to that kind of shit."

"Then what are you saying?" Hotch asked her.

"I think we need to look at the main people of the RRT and see if any of them have a past connection to the CIA."

"It still doesn't explain why it has gone from terrorists to the focus on Hotch," Chuck pointed out.

Kahlan got up and started pacing again. "If it's someone from the RRT, maybe it doesn't really have anything to do with Daniels or the terrorists."

Chuck shot Hotch a look. Neither of them were following her. "Then what?" Hotch asked her. She ran her hand through her hair as she continued pacing. She huffed and shook her head. Hotch finally got up and went to her. "What are you thinking?"

"What if it's just someone that got pissed you were put in charge?"

"You think it's all over someone being jealous?" Chuck asked her in a tone that conveyed his disbelief.

"I wouldn't put it past some of the people who were involved," she told him.

"But it still has to be connected to Daniels. Whoever it is, has his phone," Hotch pointed out.

"If the two are truly connected. Right now I'm not so sure they are."

"We can have Garcia trace Daniels' phone back to see if it was even at the lodge. We just assumed it was, right?" Chuck asked Hotch.

Hotch sighed as he sat back down. "Yep." He shook his head. "And we all know what happens when you assume something," he added sarcastically. _God damn it!_ He put his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands.

Kahlan walked over to him and rubbed a hand across his shoulders. "We'll figure this out."

Hotch huffed.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I now have a headache," Chuck started as he stood up. "I suggest we call it a night and meet up with everyone else in the morning and see if together we can figure it all out. Maybe we need to set up the hit on Hotch and see if that gets us anywhere."

"I agree about calling it a night," Kahlan told him. "Come on, Hun. You need to get some sleep," Kahlan told him as she patted his back.

Hotch stood up and they could both see the tension in his face. "Yeah. I'll text everyone." He looked at his watch, it was after midnight. "Nine sound good?"

"Fine. I'll be here to get you at 8:30."

"See you then," Kahlan told him as she pulled him into a hug. "Tell Vinnie we say 'hi'."

Chuck patted Hotch on the back and then let himself out. Kahlan grabbed Hotch's hand and pulled him to the guest bedroom. "Come on. Maybe things will look a little better in the morning."

"Somehow, I doubt it," Hotch told her in a defeated tone.

Once Hotch emerged out of the bathroom with a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, Kahlan went up and pulled his t-shirt off of him. "Babe, I really don't. . ."

"No. besides, the kids are right next door. Lay down on your stomach," she instructed him as she pushed him toward the bed. He looked at her warily. "Just do it." He took a deep breath and stretched out as he folded his arms up under the pillow and his head. Kahlan straddled his thighs and started to massage his back. He moaned as she started kneading the muscles up along his spine. "Take a couple deep breaths and try to relax," she told him.

He did as he was told and winced as she made her way to his neck. "That's tender," he told her as he jerked away from her hands.

"Sorry," she told him quickly. "Put your arms down at your side," she instructed as she scooted up his back to reach his neck better. She grabbed one of his pressure points in his shoulder and he gasped as she held it. After a few moments, the muscle relaxed in her grip, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Jesus, Hun. That one was bad."

"Yeah. I miss our bed."

"It's probably more stress than a strange bed," she told him as she attacked the other side of his neck and shoulder. Once she was done, she had him roll over and she could still the tension in his brow. "Want some help going to sleep?"

He balked. "No, I think I'm good."

She slapped him on the chest playfully. "Not like that. I wouldn't do that to you. Besides, that would just make your neck and shoulder hurt even more."

"Then what do you mean?" he asked her suspiciously.

She smiled as she basically laid on his chest and started massaging his head with both of her hands. Her thumbs rubbed across his forehead as her fingers massaged behind his ears. "Feel that?" she asked as she found certain spots on his head.

"Yeah. What the. . . hell are. . ." His neck relaxed some more and she started moving his head around gently. "Ahhhh," he moaned quietly as his eyelids started to drupe.

"Doesn't hurt does it?" He shook his head slightly as he smiled sleepily. "Go to sleep, Hun. I'll see you in the morning," she told him quietly and pressed a few more spots. His eyes shut completely and she felt his neck go limp as she held his head in her hands, so she gently laid him down on the pillow. The peaceful look on his face made her smile. She kissed him gently on the cheek, curled up next to him, and threw the blanket over them.

XXX

The next morning, Kahlan was helping Donna clean up after breakfast. "I don't know how I will ever repay you for everything you've done, Sis," Kahlan told her as she shut the dishwasher and started it.

"Don't worry about it. Your kids are great. It's you and Aaron I'm worried about."

"Don't worry about us. You just need to figure out what I can do to for you all."

"The boys' first game is tonight. I know you all are dealing with some serious shit, but if you can be there, it would be really nice," Donna told her with a knowing look.

"Why didn't they tell us?"

"Because they also know that you all are busy, and they didn't want you to feel pressured into going."

Kahlan shook her head as she looked at her boys with in the family room. "We'll be there. Is it home?"

Donna smiled. "Yep. It starts at 7:00. I'll have Joey with me, so you just worry about being at the school for kickoff."

She gave her sister a hug. "And I'll buy the dogs and soda."

They looked as the doorbell rang, and Joey ran to open the door. Chuck picked her up as he came in the house.

"Charles Lane! The next time you knock or use that door bell, I'm going to hit you. You know this house is open you," Donna yelled to him. He smiled sheepishly. She shook her head and turned to her sister. "Go. Get out of here, and we'll see you tonight."

"Yes, Ma'am," Kahlan told her with a grin.

Hotch and Kahlan told their kids goodbye and left with Chuck.

XXX

After Hotch, Kahlan, and Chuck told everyone about all of their different theories and ideas from the talk the night before, they all started discussing them in more detail.

"Can we compare Daniels' voice from the recording of Morgan's interrogation to the recordings of the leader and see if they match?" Mack asked Cam and Garcia. "We can do that, right?"

"Of course we can, my little Red Riding Hood," Garcia told her with a smile as she got busy on her laptop.

"That's an excellent idea, Mack," JJ told her. Mack smiled.

"That should at least give us more evidence either against or for him being the leader," Cam agreed as he traced down Daniels' phone to see exactly where it had been during the whole thing.

"So does anyone else have a problem with the whole terrorist without a goal thing, or is it just me?" Reid asked them.

"What do you mean," Will asked him.

"They told us why they attacked everything, but they never gave a reason behind it all other than they wanted change. I know there are plenty of people out there who would do that, but after truly looking at Daniels, he fits a goal oriented profile."

Morgan and Hotch both nodded their agreement.

"So what, there was actually a reason behind it all? Maybe one we haven't recognized yet?" JJ asked him.

"We need to look at all of the targets and even the victims more closely," Rossi told them as he got up and opened a file box. They had brought everything they had on the entire case to the warehouse that was being used as a makeshift conference room. Everybody got up and started looking through the files, too.

"With the slugs used on Hotch matching some unsolved murders that pretty much says that Daniels was dirty, right?" Mina asked them.

"I would think so," Morgan told her. "And we brought in his whole team after that guy went for the hospital, but we never got to question them all."

"Could the whole thing have been an elaborate smoke screen to try and pull off something?" Chuck asked as he started going over the list of victims from the courthouse shootings.

"As of right now, I would say anything is possible," Hotch told him as he compared the hospital victims to Chuck's list.

"I still say we need to treat this as two different cases. One to focus on all of the acts of terrorism and one to focus on the hit on Hotch," Kahlan told them.

"You truly think they aren't connected?" Will asked her.

"Not completely, no," she told him as she shook her head. "Everything in me is telling me whoever is behind the bug, the attack at the detaining hall, and the up in reward for Hotch's head is the same person, and that was not Daniels."

"So we have one unsub caught and the terrorist thing is over?" Mack asked to clarify.

"We still need to figure out why, though," Reid pointed out.

"I understand that," Mack started.

"So you think that we really should be looking at this as another case entirely and start profiling a new unsub?" JJ asked Kahlan.

"I do. I may be completely wrong. I have no experience with unsubs and your all's profiling, but. . ." she stopped as she shook her head. "I don't know."

Hotch put down the file in his hand and walked over to his wife. "But you do have experience with bugs, and aerosols, and assassins." He put his hands on her waist and looked her in the face. "Trust yourself and go with it. Isn't that what you always tell me?" She laughed as she shook her head and pulled away from him. "What?" he asked her as he turned her around to look at him.

"Go with it? If this was my thing and it wasn't you who was the target, I know what I'd do."

Everybody had stopped talking and watched the couple. "What would you do?" Morgan asked her.

She huffed. "No," she told him as she shook her head again.

Hotch studied her. "You would put the target out as bait."

"But isn't that what we're doing with the hospital?" Garcia asked and everyone could hear the fear in her voice.

Kahlan exchanged a look with Cam and Chuck, but she didn't say anything.

"But that is only drawing in nobodies with the website. Whoever placed the bug knows I'm alive and well," Hotch explained and he saw Kahlan wince slightly and he knew that's what she was thinking.

"So you think you need to put yourself out there to see who comes gunning for you?" Mack asked incredulously as she looked back and forth between Kahlan and Hotch.

"NO!" Kahlan told him quickly. "You are not. . ."

"It's what you would do, though, isn't it?" Hotch asked her.

"No," she lied as she shook her head.

Hotch looked at Chuck and Chuck looked away from him. "It's what you all would do, isn't it, Cam?"

They all looked at Cam and he tried to focus on his laptop screen. "Puddin!" Garcia yelled as she hit his arm. "We are not going to put my liege out like a lamb for the wolves!"

"I didn't say we should!" Cam defended himself.

"But it's what you would do if the target was someone else, correct?" Hotch asked as he turned back to Kahlan.

Kahlan's shoulders slumped. "Yes. But you are not putting yourself out there, Aaron!" She stressed his name to let him know exactly how much she wasn't going to let him.

"It may be the only way to draw out whoever it is," Hotch started.

"That damn dragon skin isn't going to protect you from botulism or God knows what else, let alone a head shot. You are not doing it!" She insisted.

"Kahlan's right, Hotch," Rossi agreed.

"You could all be in danger," Hotch started. "Just from being around me when whoever it is gets tired of waiting for me and actually starts looking for me."

"Man, Hotch, we're prepared to protect you just like always. Every case we go on has risks," Morgan told him.

"Whoever it is, killed a naval officer, made their way through Quantico, killed over thirty people with a form of a bacteria that shouldn't even exist, and disappeared again." Hotch continued.

"All the more reason to be extremely worried," JJ pointed out.

"Yeah, I am. Who's to say he doesn't get tired of me hiding and decide to go after the people I work with?" Hotch argued.

"We can protect them," Chuck told him.

"And if he decides to head to my house? Or how about the one of the kids' schools?" Hotch asked as he fixed Kahlan with a look. The look of fear that crossed her face told him that she hadn't thought about that. He went and put his hands on her shoulders. "If we set it up right, I will be protected. We can try to counter whatever is thrown at us. If I don't do this, there is no telling where or when the next strike will be, and that is too dangerous. You said so yourself." Even behind the sunglasses, he could tell her eyes were darting around and he knew she was trying to come up with an argument against it. She hung her head, and he knew she couldn't figure out a way out of it. He put his hands on the sides of her face. "I will be alright. Everyone will make sure of that."

She reached up, took off her sunglasses, and looked him in the eyes. "Yeah, you will be, because I will be the one with you."


	52. Chapter 52

* Just found out my website didn't actually have Daddy Lump on it– sorry. He's there now, though. I also added pictures of the dogs thanks to a suggestion from a great friend. They are all on the 'Character Photos' page.

**Chapter 52**

Hotch let go of Kahlan's face and took a step back from her. "No."

Kahlan gave him a look of defiance. "If it's going to completely safe for you, then you have no reason to not let me."

Chuck slammed down the file in his hand. "No!" Kahlan and Hotch both looked at him not sure who he was saying 'no' to. "Neither one of you need to do it!"

"Hotch is right. We have to know what's going on," Kahlan started as she looked at her husband. "But he is not doing it unless I am there with him," she added with a look to everyone around her and enough of an edge in her voice to hopefully dissuade everyone in the room from trying to help him without her.

"Jesus Christ," Dave started and Kahlan fixed him with a look. He had to look away from her. "What the hell happened to your eyes?"

Everyone focused on her and some of them even sucked in their breath. Kahlan laughed at them but put her sunglasses back on. "Really? My eyes are what're bothering you all the most right now?"

Garcia had put her hand to her mouth. "That's scary. Are you ok?"

Kahlan sighed and shook her head slowly. "Yes, and there is nothing wrong with my vision; and, yes, it will go away, but it may take a week or so."

Chuck laughed at the looks on the faces around him. "Well, at least I wasn't the only one who was shocked to see it."

"Can we get past my eyes and discuss how _my husband and I_ are going to pull this off?"

"Yes please. I don't want have to think about the evil eyes from hell any longer than I have to," Mack joked, and everyone laughed as Kahlan shook her head again.

"Kahlan, you are not doing this," Hotch told her as he folded his arms across his chest.

She mirrored his stance. "Then you're not doing it either."

"I have to. I'm the target, so it won't work without me."

"I need to interrupt," Garcia started as she held up her hand as if she were in school. They all looked at her. "What did you mean when you said dragon skin?"

Kahlan chuckled. "I don't know what it's called, but that bulletproof shirt Hotch is wearing that save his life in the garage."

"That's actually a pretty cool name for it. I'll have to tell my buddy," Chuck said as he smiled at Kahlan.

"Daniels' phone was at the lodge," Cam interrupted. "But it left before we actually hit it. There must be a back road out of there," Cam told them as his face displayed his confusion over watching where the phone was headed. "I lose it off and on, but it comes back in clearly near Woodstock." His tone told them all he didn't believe it even though he was seeing it.

"Woodstock? Exactly where was that lodge?" Kahlan asked as she went up to look at the laptop.

Reid opened a file box and searched for the map he knew was in there. Once he found it, he spread it out on the table and found the point he was looking for. "It was in this general vicinity."

Kahlan approached the map and studied where Reid was pointing. "Oh yeah. There are several back roads that lead over the back side of the mountain."

"They aren't on the map," Reid told her as if that meant they couldn't exist.

"They aren't real roads per say, but anyone familiar with the area would know about them."

"So we could have actually lost a lot of people that way," Will pointed out.

They all fell silent as they contemplated what that could mean.

"It was also at Leesylvania Park during the attack," Cam told them as he traced it back even further.

"What?" Hotch asked as he walked over to Cam and his laptop.

"He wasn't there as SWAT," Kahlan pointed out.

"Actually, with the way it bounces around, he could have been just outside of it," Cam corrected himself.

Garcia's laptop dinged and she started typing as everyone's attention went to her. "His voice matches the first 911 call and the call to the news station, but it doesn't match the call to Hotch directly."

Hotch shook his head, and so did several of the others.

"So that doesn't really help figure it out," Mina injected.

Hotch sank down into a chair roughly and looked at the ceiling. "We're going in circles."

"With Daniels dead, I think we need to concentrate on the possibility of a new unsub," Morgan told them.

Rossi walked over and put a supportive hand on Hotch's shoulder. "As much as I hate to admit it, Hotch is right. He has to see if he can draw out whoever is after him." Hotch looked at him and then shot a look to Kahlan that said 'Ha, I win.' "But as much as I also hate it, I think Kahlan should be the one with him." Kahlan smiled at Hotch and he gave her a dirty look.

"No!" Chuck yelled. "Jesus Christ, Rossi. What if something goes wrong? Then they're both. . ."

Rossi went over and put his hands on Chuck's shoulders. "It will be our job to make sure that doesn't happen."

Chuck looked pleadingly at Kahlan and Hotch. He shook his head slowly as he looked back to Rossi. "With the bad luck they've both had so far. . ." he stopped and pulled away from Rossi. "Whatever," he muttered and walked away from the group.

"I disagree," Reid spoke up. "I would say they have both been extremely lucky." Chuck looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Hotch could have been killed several times and he's still here. Kahlan has also almost died, and she's still here, too. That's pretty lucky if you ask me."

JJ smiled at him and several people nodded their agreement.

Chuck considered his words and then huffed. "Fine. Let's do this."

Morgan walked over to Reid as everyone started discussing how they should handle the sting. "I thought you didn't believe in luck, Pretty Boy."

Reid smiled. "I don't, but I feel better with him in on it."

Morgan nodded slowly as he watched Chuck, Kahlan, Cam, and Hotch talking together.

XXX

They all split up into two groups, one to go over everything and see if they could find a connection to Daniels in all of the terrorist attacks, and the other group to plan out the sting to try and get whoever was after Hotch. By six o'clock, they called it a day so they could all go see the boys' first game. They could all use the break, and Rossi, Chuck, and Reid even went and picked up Cindi, Vinnie, and Amy so the whole damn family could go support the young Hotchner men.

Everyone was early and they were all able to sit together, and they took up most of the bleaches at the fifty yard line. Donna and Mike finally showed up with Joey and she couldn't get to her extended family members fast enough. Kahlan and Hotch laughed as Joey made her way around giving kisses and hugs. Garcia busied herself with passing out hand held, red and gold, pompoms so everyone could show their support for the home team, the Warriors.

Donna sat down next to Kahlan and studied her and the group that was sitting around them. "What's going on?"

Kahlan glanced at her out of the corner of her eye as she also kept track of Joey. "What do you mean?"

"Oh please. I may not be in your all's line of work, but I can clearly see the difference on the faces of your little work family. You all are worried, and that scares me."

Kahlan smiled and patted her on the leg. "There's nothing for you to be concerned about. Relax and enjoy the game."

Donna huffed, but she knew her sister wouldn't tell her what was happening, but when she locked eyes with Chuck, she knew something serious was going on. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I always am," Kahlan assured her, and then they all stood up to cheer as the home team made its way onto the field.

"I really hope they do ok," Garcia told JJ. "The team they're playing won state last year."

"Don't worry, Pen, The Hotchner boys weren't on the team last year," Cam told her with a smile as he put his arm around her.

"Yeah, you've seen them playing in the yard. They have skills," Morgan told her as he sat back down.

When the announcer called out number eleven, Jack Hotchner, quarterback, the bleachers erupted. Kahlan elbowed Hotch in the ribs. "White's number!" Hotch huffed. When the announcer finally got to number forty-four, Wyatt Hotchner, running back, the bleaches erupted again. Hotch turned and gave Kahlan a satisfied smirk. "Shut up!" She told him as she sat back down; forty-four was John Riggins' number.

"I didn't think schools put the players' names on jerseys. It's too expensive to change them every year," Rossi wondered aloud.

"That's true," Hotch agreed as he looked at the boys' team. The visiting team didn't have names on their jerseys. He turned to Kahlan with an accusing look.

"What?" She started. "Yeah, like I've had time to do that."

Hotch looked back at the team and noticed Cam looking guilty. "Cameron James Stillman!"

Cam looked at them sheepishly. "What? That was all Penny's idea!"

Everyone turned and stared at Garcia and Cam. "What? They can reuse them; the names come off and new can be put on. They have super strong velcro on them," Garcia started as she looked at the team proudly. "They look good, too."

Kahlan shook her head, but they all focused on the opening kickoff. The visiting team, the Bulldogs, got the ball first, but after five downs, they had to punt it away. Everyone moved to the edge of their seats in anticipation for Jack and Wyatt to show off their talent. Jack played well when he had the chance. The visiting team's defensive line was a lot bigger than Jack's offensive line, and he got tackled every other play. On the fourth down, Jack was able to slip past a defender and throw a perfect spiral to the waiting arms of a receiver downfield. Hotch couldn't tell who was yelling the loudest, Garcia or Kahlan.

With the first down gotten, Jack's next play was a handoff to Wyatt that put them twenty-three yards closer to the goal line. After another nasty tackle from number ninety-two of the Bulldogs, Jack was down again. Hotch could tell Kahlan was getting mad. A quick pass to Wyatt got them a couple more yards, but in the end, they had to punt it away, too.

Four more downs, and the Warriors had the ball again. Ninety-two took Jack to the ground roughly on the first play. Hotch noticed Kahlan shift in her seat. Jack was able to get the ball thrown downfield the next play, and handoff to Wyatt the next. Ninety-two took Jack down as soon as he got the ball to Wyatt, but Wyatt rushed for thirteen more yards. Another play, a screen pass, found Jack on the ground again.

"Come on, Ref!" Kahlan yelled. "That was a late hit!"

"Calm down, Babe," Hotch told her as he noticed her hands balled into fists.

"That damn kid has it out for Jack!" She insisted.

"It's football, that's what he's supposed to do."

She huffed and got pissed again as 92 hit Jack a little late again. "I swear, if he does that. . ." she started as she stood up.

"That's a kid you're threatening," Hotch told her as he grabbed her arm.

"What?" Kahlan asked him as she looked back at him. "I would never, but I think I might go have a talk with that coach!"

"Babe, he's fine. It's just a game." He looked at her with a little worry because he had never seen her act like that at any of the boys' soccer games. _Of course they weren't out tackling each other, either._

"Your right. It's probably bad parenting. You think his father is over there?"

"Jesus Christ, Babe. Calm down. You are not going over there," Hotch told her as Jack got hit again.

Kahlan ran a hand through her hair roughly, but she sat back down. Everyone else was looking a little scared at the way Kahlan was acting. Even Donna had scooted away from her a little.

On the third down, Wyatt fixed Jack with a look in the huddle. "Throw it towards Barns," Wyatt started.

"But that's right where 92 has been coming straight up the middle," Jack told him as he eyed him warily.

"I said through it towards Barns, let 92 intercept it," Wyatt told him quickly.

Jack looked at him as if he'd lost his mind, but he noticed Wyatt and Sam, their biggest player, grinning. He grinned. "Alright, but this better work," he told them and they went to the line.

The snap and the throw, and everyone was floored when the ball was intercepted by 92. Kahlan's eyes got big as she took in the field. Wyatt was steaming towards 92 from the right, and Warrior 36 was running just as hard from the left. They met their target with precise timing, and 92 went down in a clash of pads and helmets. The ball got lose, and Jack scrambled. He scooped it up, evaded a couple tackles, and entered the end zone for the first Warrior touchdown. The bleachers went wild, as Wyatt finally pushed himself up. He smiled at 92 still on the ground. "That'll teach you to mess with my brother again!" Wyatt told him menacingly, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear. As he walked back over to the sideline, he noticed his mother smiling proudly, and he knew, she knew, they had done it on purpose. Hotch was too busy slapping fives with Rossi and Morgan on Jack's first score to notice the slight nod that Kahlan gave her son. He nodded back and then went to congratulate Jack, too.

Ninety-two was out for the rest of the game, but by the time it was over, the Bulldogs won 17-14. While they hadn't won, they were all extremely proud of how well the boys had played, and they all went to Pizza Hut for an after game party.

Kahlan got Wyatt alone for a second and gave him a hug. "Who's 36?"

Wyatt grinned. "That's Sam. He's an eighth grader."

"Next time you see him, tell him I said thank you."

"Yep," Wyatt told her as he went and sat with Will and Morgan as they were going over all of the plays of the game.

Kahlan noticed Jack's smile as he and Wyatt locked eyes for a second. Hotch came up behind her and put his hands on her waist. "That was a great game."

"Yep," Kahlan told him with a grin.

"You finally get over being mad? I don't want to have to worry about you behaving at some game when I'm not here."

She craned her head around and smiled at him. "You don't need to worry. I think our boys proved they can take care of themselves."

"Told you," he told her and gave her neck a kiss.

She sighed contently. _Now, if we can just get this shit taken care of without you getting hurt, I will be a happy woman!_


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53**

Hotch had finally dozed off, but Kahlan couldn't stop her worry over the next days' activities long enough to go to sleep. After the fourth time of trying to get in a more comfortable position, she finally got out of bed before she woke up her husband with her tossing and turning. She left the room quietly and made her way to her sister's kitchen. The whole house was quiet and Kahlan shook her head at her inability to calm herself. She got a beer out of the fridge hoping that a little alcohol would help relax her. She sat down at the table and drummed her fingers on her thigh. Everything in her was telling her that tomorrow was going to go badly, and she didn't know if it was her instincts or her worry for her husband, but either way, it pissed her off.

The silence in the house was unnerving her, so she took her beer and headed for the front door. Before she could shut the door behind her, Sampson squeezed through it. "Hey, Boy, you couldn't sleep either, huh?" She asked him as she scratched his neck. He whined and sat down beside her. She sighed heavily and the cool night air felt good in her lungs and on her skin. She went to the steps and sat down on the first one and Sampson went to her, laid down beside her, and rested his head on her lap. She stroked his head and neck as she stared out into the dark night; it was raining softly. She wasn't really seeing anything, though, because she was running everything over and over in her mind.

She took a long drink of the beer and shook her head again. "I don't know what to do, Boy. Dad is in danger, and he thinks he has to use himself as bait, but I'm not sure I can handle that." Sampson whined and scooted a little closer to her. "I wish I knew who it was. If I knew who it was, I'd go after him. I can't believe we can't figure it out." He lifted his head and looked at her. She looked down at him and smiled. "I know, Boy. I wish you could help, too." He laid his head back down and she started petting him again. It pissed her off that they had some of the best minds working on it, but yet none of them could figure out who was behind it. "I'm missing something, and it's something important." She shook her head again and took another drink of the beer.

After all of the searching through everything, the group in charge of the sting had come up with several possible people, but none of them struck her as being the one. All of their suspects had connections to the CIA, and anyone could have bought the bug, but none of them matched the person they had on camera from the detaining hall. "I guess that could have just been someone he or she hired," she mused and then took another drink. She ran a hand through her hair roughly. "It's because I was in that damn hospital! If I hadn't been there, I know I would have seen or heard something!" She got mad at herself. "We knew they weren't done. Why didn't we keep our guard up? Why didn't I see that the invitations were a threat?" She huffed. "Because I'm an idiot, that's why!" Sampson whined again and put a paw on her leg to show that he disagreed.

"Something happened while I was in that damn hospital, something important." She took another drink of her beer and pursed her lips as she tried to figure it out. "Something happened with Dad. That's why the shift went to him." She drummed her fingers on Sampson's head lightly. "There has got to be something that he isn't telling me." He whined. "No, I don't think he's keeping anything from me, but something happened that he just hasn't thought about telling me." Her eyes darted around as she thought about it some more. "It's when they stopped reporting to the RRT. When they knew Daniels was in with Rebellion, they closed themselves off from everyone else." She took another drink. "I know they had to without knowing if anyone else was in on it, but. . ." She shook her head again. "I don't know."

Kahlan sighed as she shook her head again and brought the beer up for another drink when Sampson suddenly sat up and looked towards the trees across the street. Her hand froze in mid motion. A low growl emanated from Sampson's chest and his ears twitched forward slightly. Kahlan sat her beer down and tried to look out into the night where Sampson's attention was drawn. "What is it, Boy?" Sampson stood up and moved his front legs onto the second step thus standing over Kahlan as his top lip rose slightly showing the teeth in the side of his mouth. His growl got a little louder and Kahlan felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She knew there was someone out there. "You see 'em?" She asked Sampson in a whisper. He shifted his body a little more in front of her and her eyes tried to take in every shadow. She knew that if she truly was being watched, then the person probably knew that Sampson had seen or sensed him. She wondered if it could be one of Chuck's buddies keeping an eye on the house. "I think we better go in," she told him quietly as she tried to get him out from in front of her so she could get up, but he wouldn't budge.

Sampson's mouth opened into a threatening snarl of teeth as he growled deeper than she had ever heard him before. "Come on, Boy, let's go in," she tried again to get him to move. When he wouldn't she started to draw her legs up and scooted back to get out from under him. As soon as she was about to stand up, Sampson leaped off of the porch with a vicious bark. "Sampson, no!" She screamed as she lunged to try and grab his collar. She ended up grabbing his back leg, but he slipped out of her grasp and was out of the yard before she could even right herself and stand up. For a split second she thought about running after him, but she turned to the door instead. Before she reached the handle she heard a brutal growl with teeth snapping. As she flung the door open, she yelled for her husband, but he was already headed down the steps with his pistol in hand. "What?" Hotch asked desperately as he tossed her her pistol.

"I don't know. Sampson took off after something," she told him as she caught the pistol and headed back out the door in one fluid movement. As she took the porch stairs, she heard doors opening inside the house and she knew everyone had been woken up.

"Stay in the house," Hotch yelled to someone behind him as he shut the door and ran to catch up with his wife.

Kahlan took off in the direction that Sampson had gone. Hotch caught up with her quickly and they both shared a look of fear because they could both hear the sounds of barking, growling, teeth clashing, twigs snapping, and leaves rustling off in the distance. Hotch took off faster toward the commotion and a gun shot rang out. _No!_ Kahlan wanted to scream as she pushed herself to try and catch up with Hotch. She nearly ran right into him in the dark. He had stopped and was looking around frantically. The silence was deafening and all Kahlan could hear was her own labored breathing. She held her breath to try and pick up on any other sounds that would let them know which direction to go in, but all they could hear was the rain.

She finally had to release her breath when her lungs screamed for oxygen. "Should I call for him?" She asked Hotch in a whisper. Hotch held his hand up to silence her. He strained to listen and he could detect something moving through the trees. He pushed Kahlan up against a tree and put himself in front of her as his eyes strained to see in the dark. A soft whine let them know it was Sampson. "Come here, Boy," Hotch called to him quietly even though he still couldn't see him. Hotch and Kahlan both search the woods around them tying to see the black dog; they couldn't tell what direction the whine had come from because of the sound of the rain hitting the trees.

A low growl to their left made Hotch put himself in between the growl and Kahlan. "Call him,"' Hotch told her quietly.

"Sampson," Kahlan called out gently. The sound of movement picked up and a few whines let them know that he had heard her and was coming. Once he was close enough for them to see him, he started wagging his nub and quickly joined them. Kahlan came out from behind Hotch and knelt down next to him. "Jesus, Boy, you scared the shit out of me!" She told him as she rubbed his face and neck. As her hand went by his mouth, she felt something sticky. She looked at her hands and saw something dark. She thought it was blood, but in the dark, she couldn't be sure. "I think there's blood," she told Hotch as she stood up.

"Is he hurt?" Hotch asked her quickly as he kept an eye on the woods.

"I don't know," Kahlan started and Sampson's head snapped back toward the way he had come as a low growl escaped him.

"Let's get back to the house," Hotch told her as he started to push her in front of him. She grabbed Sampson's collar and pulled him along with her. She shoved her pistol into the waistline of her lounge pants and grabbed Hotch's shirt. He was basically walking backwards to keep an eye on the woods behind them. The three of them made their way slowly back to the street. Once they were in the open again, Hotch urged her into a trot.

Mike had the door open by the time they reached the porch. They quickly went into the house, and Mike shut the door and locked it. Hotch nodded at him and smiled when he realized Mike had a pistol in his hand.

"The kids?" Kahlan asked quickly.

"Donna's got them in the basement," he told her as he kept watch out the window. They might not have the training Hotch and Kahlan had, but they knew how to protect themselves.

Kahlan quickly kneelt down and looked Sampson over. He had blood around his mouth, but she couldn't find any wounds there, so she knew that blood didn't belong to him. As she checked the rest of him out, she found a long, thin, wound on his back hip, and she knew that's where the shot they'd heard had hit him. It was bleeding, but it wasn't deep.

"What the hell happened?" Hotch asked her as he pulled her up to stand in front of him.

Before Kahlan could answer, headlights told them someone had shown up in the driveway. They relaxed when they realized Chuck was running up to the porch. Mike opened the door and he ran in with his pistol in his hand. "Jesus Christ! What the hell happened?" Kahlan looked at him questioningly. "Donna texted 'come now', so I did."

Kahlan ran a hand through her wet hair. "I was out on the porch with Sampson. He either heard or saw something off in the woods across the street. When I got up to come in, he took off after it."

Chuck looked flabbergasted. "You mean to tell me, I just almost had a heart attack because that damn dog saw a rabbit or something?"

Sampson growled. Kahlan put herself between him and Chuck. "Sure, if rabbits are in the habit of carrying guns and shooting them to get away from dogs," she told him sarcastically.

"What?" Chuck asked as he looked at Sampson.

"Whoever he was trying to get shot him," Hotch explained.

"So you think he saw someone trying to come up to the house and went after them?"

"Whether or not they were coming to the house or just watching it, I don't know. But there was definitely someone out there with a gun," Kahlan told him as she rubbed Sampson's neck.

"Jesus Christ! How the hell did they even know you all were here?" Chuck wondered aloud.

"Should we be leaving?" Mike asked them, and they could all see the fear in his eyes.

"God, Mike, I am so sorry," Kahlan told him.

"Yes," Hotch told him and then turned to Kahlan. "Get your sister and the kids, we are all leaving."

Kahlan nodded and headed to the basement steps.

"Are they still out there?" Chuck asked Hotch as he looked out the window beside the door.

"I think so. Sampson was able to hurt whoever it was, but I don't know how bad. There could even be more than one," Hotch told him as he headed to the stairs. "I'm going get dressed."

"I'll go check the back," Mike told them and left the entryway.

Chuck looked at Sampson. "Sorry, Boy, I should have known you'd never do anything stupid. Thanks for protecting her," he told him and rubbed his head affectionately. Sampson let out a soft whine and wagged his nub. Chuck laughed and then turned his attention back to the front of the house.

Kahlan came back to the entryway. "Hotch?"

"Dressed," Chuck told her as he pointed upstairs.

Kahlan nodded and quickly ran up to join him. She pulled off her wet pajamas and started getting dressed. "I can't believe we have put my sister and her husband in danger."

"I'm sorry, Babe. I shouldn't have come."

"You know she was down in the media room with the door closed with a shotgun trained on it. If I hadn't called out, she was planning on blowing the door away as soon as the knob moved."

Hotch let out a sound that was a mix of laughter and shock. "Jesus. I guess that shit runs in the family, huh?"

"Dad taught us well," Kahlan told him seriously as she put her shoes on.

"Come on," he told her as he put his holster and pistol on his hip. "We need to figure out where to take them."

Hotch and Kahlan took over watching the house as Donna and Mike got dressed. Donna came down the stairs and went to her sister. "You all need to go and take care of whatever this is. Don't worry about the kids, Mike and I will take care of them and get them someplace safe. We'll take the dogs, too."

"I am so sorry, Donna. I never wanted any of this to happen here."

"Of course you didn't." She smiled. "And you told me not to worry."

"I know," Kahlan told her sheepishly as Mike and Hotch joined them in the kitchen.

"We won't let anything happen to them," Donna told her as she pulled her into a hug.

"I know. Thank. . ."

"Really? You want me to hit you? Thank me again and see what happens," she told her with a look that would rival Hotch's.

Hotch chuckled. _If anyone could get away with hitting Kahlan, it would be Donna. _"We'll all go out together. You all can leave, and we'll stay back and make sure you're not followed."

"Ok. Try and keep her out of the woods," Mike told him as he gestured to Kahlan.

"Ha ha ha," Kahlan told him with a smirk. She grabbed Hotch's hand and they went into the dining room to tell the kids goodbye. She looked at their faces and she could tell they were worried. She took a deep breath.

"We understand," Wyatt started as he went up and hugged her. "Don't worry about us."

Jack got up and hugged his father. "You guys just need to promise us you'll be careful."

"Of course we will," Kahlan told them as she picked up Joey. Joey had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Pumpkin."

"It's not your fault, Mommy," Joey told her as she hugged her neck. When she finally let go, Kahlan passed her to Hotch. "You better be good," she told Hotch as she hugged his neck.

Hotch nodded and squeezed her tightly. "I love you, Angel."

"I love you, more," Joey told him with a smile as she pulled back and looked him in the eyes. He smiled and sat her down.

"No, Joe, I love him more," Wyatt teased as he took his turn at hugging Hotch.

"And I love Mom more," Jack teased as he hugged Kahlan.

"You're both liars!" Joey teased. "I love them more."

They all laughed.

Hotch picked up Joey again and they all headed for the front door.

Chuck went out first and the dogs followed him. Even Goliath started growling as he looked towards the woods. Kahlan rushed out and grabbed both dogs by the collars. "I say we go out through the garage," she suggested as she pulled the dogs back inside.

"Yeah. I agree," Chuck said as he came back in and shut the door. "That or we wait until the sun comes up."

"We're not waiting," Hotch told him as he headed for the garage. _God knows who is out there and what they have. I am not taking the chance of someone shooting up this house or throwing something in here that could kill us all!_

Once he knew the garage was clear, he told Chuck to bring his vehicle in it. Once that was done, he called for Mike to get his SUV started. They loaded the kids and the dogs in with Donna and Mike, and then they got in with Chuck. Mike opened the garage doors again and he took off faster than he had ever before. Chuck followed them just as quickly and once they were at the end of the road, Chuck pulled over and let Mike disappear down the road. They waited and made sure no one was following. Once they were sure, Chuck took off in the opposite direction.


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54**

The ride to the warehouse was made in silence as Hotch, Kahlan, and Chuck were all lost in their own thoughts about what had happened. Hotch sighed deeply as he held Kahlan's hand as they walked into the warehouse and he sat down at their makeshift table. "You think they've been watching the kids the whole time just waiting for me to show up?"

"I don't know," Kahlan confessed as she sat down next to him.

"But you were there last night, too," Chuck pointed out.

"They were probably there then, too. It was just luck that I was out on the porch tonight."

"If Sampson hadn't known they were there. . ." Hotch started and then rubbed a hand down his face.

"Maybe they weren't going to do anything there. Maybe they were just watching. If they hadn't approached the house or anything, maybe the kids aren't in danger," Chuck tried to sound positive.

Kahlan looked at him as she considered his words. "But they had a gun."

"How long were you on the porch?" Hotch asked her.

She shrugged. "Long enough to almost finish a beer. I don't know for sure."

"So whoever it was had plenty of time to shoot you," Chuck pointed out.

"I'm not the target."

"But if they truly want Hotch, they have to know he'll be easier to get with you out of the way. And why didn't they go after Hotch when he was outside?"

Kahlan and Hotch shared a look; they had both had wondered the same thing obviously.

"Maybe they were too busy trying to get away from Sampson," Kahlan mused with a grin.

"They were still there when we were leaving," Hotch pointed out.

"True," Kahlan agreed and then rubbed her eyes.

Chuck stood up and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed deeply and looked at his watch. "Why don't you two try to salvage a few hours of sleep. I'll keep watch," he told them and headed back out of the door.

Kahlan looked around; she did feel extremely tired. "Come on," she told Hotch as she grabbed his hand and pulled him up into a standing position. They walked to the back of the warehouse and Hotch sat down on the floor and leaned his back up against the wall. She sat down and snuggled up to his side.

Chuck came back in and walked over to him. "Here," he told them as he threw a stack of pillows and blankets at them.

Kahlan smiled her thanks and arranged them into a pallet and the couple laid down in each other's arms. "I am so sorry, Babe," Hotch told her as he kissed the top of her head.

"We'll get through this, Hun. Try to rest," she told him as she snuggled in closer to his chest and put one of her legs over his.

He wrapped his arm around her tighter. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

XXX

Hotch awoke to Kahlan moving. Her whole body was twitching and she was breathing heavily, so he knew she was having a dream. He pulled her to him more tightly hoping to calm her.

"Aaron!" she called out as she jerked hard and sat up looking frightened.

"Babe. It's ok," Hotch tried to sooth her as he sat up. Her eyes darted around, so he put his hands on her shoulders. "Look at me. Look at me," he told her quietly. She finally locked eyes with him and took a deep breath. "It's ok. It was just a dream," he told her tenderly and pulled her into a hug. She sighed against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him almost violently. After a few moments she let go and pulled away from him, and he searched her face. "You ok?"

She took a deep breath and ran a hand down her face. "Yeah," is all she said. She shook her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

He laid back down and pulled her down next to him. "You want to talk about it?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around her.

She scooted in, laid her head on his chest, wrapped an arm around his waist, and put one leg across his. "Nah. It's alright. Go back to sleep."

He shook his head. It was obvious the dream had been about him, but he knew she wasn't going to share it. "Try to relax, Babe," he told her as he brought his other hand up and stroked her hair.

XXX

At nine am, the whole group was in the warehouse. They all had looks that were a mix of anger and shock over what had happened in the middle of the night to the Hotchners.

"I guess this really means we have to go through with the plan today," Chuck mused as he paced. They could all tell he did not like the fact of Hotch or Kahlan putting themselves in danger, let alone them doing it together.

"We could call everyone in on your unsub list and see if any of them have acquired a few teeth marks," Will suggested with a grin. They were all glad Sampson had gotten a piece of whoever was out in the woods.

"Yeah, but it could still be someone not on the list. Or they could have had someone else watching the house for them," Hotch pointed out.

Rossi got up and put a supportive hand on Hotch's back. "Are you committed to this?"

Hotch took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "Yes, but I don't want her to be with me," he told him as he glanced over at his wife.

Kahlan fixed him with a look. "I am going to be with you on this, or we are not doing it!"

Hotch stood up roughly. "I don't want you in harm's way. We can do this without you." They could all see the fear and anger in his eyes as he stared her down.

She stared right back without blinking.

"I, for one, would feel better with Double-O protecting my liege," Garcia told them all.

Hotch shot her a look and she looked down at her laptop.

"We have planned it out to a 'T', so nothing can go wrong," Kahlan started as Hotch looked back at her.

"There's always the chance for something to go wrong," Chuck injected.

Kahlan shot him a look and he swallowed hard.

"See, even he doesn't want you to do this," Hotch told her as he gestured to Chuck.

"He doesn't want you to do it either. He's just being a mother hen," Kahlan told him with a look of defiance.

"Kahlan, I swear, sometimes you. . ." Hotch started between clenched teeth as his hands balled into fists.

"You know what? Fine. You want to do it alone," she started as she went to the door. "If you can get by me, then you can do it alone," she told him as she stood in front of the door with her arms folded across her chest as she locked eyes with him. She smiled wickedly as she used his earlier ploy against him. "But I promise you, I will not just use normal means to stop you," she told him, and they could all here the ice in her tone.

He ran a hand through his hair as he stared at her. His nostrils flared as he looked at her.

Morgan shot Rossi a look of fear; he thought Hotch was actually going to try. Several of them held their breath as they watched the couple.

"That's not fair. You know I can't."

"I guess neither one of us fights fair," Kahlan told him simply.

He huffed and shook his head as he turned away from her. After a few moments, he finally looked back at her and actually smiled. "You really can be a stubborn ass, you know that."

Everyone relaxed as Kahlan went to him and put her hands around his neck. "Yep, just like you," she told him with a smile.

Rossi shook his head at them. "So how are we going to handle this?"

XXX

At four o'clock, Hotch walked into the packed bullpen, and several people were clearly shocked to see him up and walking around. The whole warehouse group was dispersed around the room to keep track of everyone's reactions and behavior and even be on the lookout for a wound or two. For their trap to work, everyone had to know that Hotch was alive and well. They knew whoever planted the bug knew it, but they wanted to be able to catch everyone involved, so they had called in the entire RRT and made ready to start the sting. Hotch made his way to the catwalk so everyone could see him. Once they all quieted down, he started his debriefing with Daniels. He told them how Daniels was the leader of the Rebellion and everything else that had happened since the last time he had spoken to them.

He leaned down on the railing, and continued. "We have shut down the website and closed down the trap at the hospital, so there shouldn't be any more trouble coming from that. We do, however, still believe there is someone out there after me," he paused and let that sink in as he took in the faces in front of him. He made a mental note of who wouldn't look at him. "So I have decided, for the safety of my family, that I will stay in a safe house out on the edge of town until we can narrow down our unsub. I have discussed everything with DNI Clapper and Director Mueller, and they agree the RRT can be disbanded as the terrorist threat has been contained. You all are to report back to your individual agencies."

"I want to add, though, that you all have down an outstanding job, and if it wasn't for all of your hard work, things could have been a lot worse than what they were. I am proud of the work you have done, and I am glad that I got the chance to have worked with you." He stood up straight and looked at all of them. "But I really hope we don't have to do this again anytime soon," he finished with a smile.

Several people laughed or nodded their agreement and everyone started to congratulate each other and tell each other goodbye. Hotch joined them and shook several hands as he talked to some of the people personally. After a few moments everyone started to head out and within twenty minutes the bullpen was empty except for the warehouse group. They all headed to the conference room to discuss what they had seen from the RRT.

Hotch grabbed Kahlan's arm to hold her back. "Jesus Christ, Babe, were you trying to scare the shit out of everyone here?" he asked her with a chuckle.

"What?" she asked innocently. She had changed and shown up at the bullpen fully equipped.

He had also seen that Chuck was fully equipped, but he wasn't as scary as Kahlan was for some reason. He looked her over slowly. She was wearing black cargo pants, a black t-shirt, black tactical boots, and a black ball cap on with her long hair sticking out of the opening in the back. It wasn't her choice of clothes that had him so rattled, though, it was all of the weapons he could clearly see on her. He also knew there were some that were hidden slightly, and he also figured there were some that he couldn't see. "What's that, four or five pistols?"

She smiled. "Six."

A shocked gasped escaped his lips. Two of them were hung horizontally under each arm in a double shoulder holster. "Can you shoot left handed?" he asked uncertainly. He had never seen her do it, but he knew that didn't mean anything. She also had a pistol in a holster at the small of her back and one slung low on her right hip. He wasn't sure where the other two could be because her pant legs were bunched together at the top of her boots, so he didn't think she could even have an ankle holster on.

"Yes, but not as well as I can right handed. Like you have any room to talk out what hand somebody shoots with."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh please. You're an oxymoron when it comes to shooting. You're left handed, but you have your pistol on your right hip. You draw it and hold it like a right handed person, but you aim with your left eye. Your hands don't know which one wants to be dominate."

He shook his head. "How many other weapons do you have on you?" She also had on tactical web gear that went over her shoulders, and he saw a knife strapped to each side of it, and he was pretty sure there was another one just visible in her right boot. She was also wearing a brace of sorts on her left forearm, and it had some sort of small weapon on the inside of it.

"You'll never know," she told him playfully as she walked towards the conference room.

He shook his head again as he watched her walk away. _You can be really scary sometimes, Babe. _He took a deep breath and followed her.

He got to the conference and noticed everyone else apparently felt the same way.

"What the hell, Kahlan? You two look like your prepared to go to war," Morgan told her as he looked at her and Chuck. Will chuckled.

"When someone targets my man, it is war," she told him plainly. Mina nodded her agreement.

"Yeah. It was just a little veiled threat to anyone here of what they are up against should they decide to go after Hotch," Chuck told him with a smile.

"I wouldn't consider all that to be _veiled_," Mack pointed out as she gestured up and down him. "I'd say all that screams threat."

They all laughed. Hotch shook his head as he looked at his wife again. "Alright, who got what?"


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55**

By nine o'clock, Hotch and Kahlan made their way into the safe house. Cam, Chuck, Morgan, and Rossi were in Cam's van parked two streets away. They were going to take the night shift and switch out with another team in the morning. They had set up several cameras in and around the house as well as several other types of equipment that would alert them to anyone coming near the house. Chuck paced outside the van. He couldn't get over the feeling of dread deep in his gut. He knew if anyone got to the house, that Kahlan would be able to handle them physically, but he was worried about things she couldn't fight physically.

Cam had two of the three monitors in the van continuously cycling through the fifteen cameras that were set up. The other monitor stayed focused on Hotch and Kahlan as he manually switched cameras as they moved through the rooms. Morgan and Rossi were sitting next to Cam. Morgan motioned with his head to the open door at the back of the van; Rossi nodded and got up to go see Chuck.

He went and put a hand on Chuck's back. "Calm down; they'll be fine," he tried to assure him.

Chuck turned and looked at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it and nodded. "If you say so."

"You helped set it all up. Do you doubt your own abilities?"

"No, but I don't know who the enemy is, so I have no idea what his abilities are, and that scares me. I don't like not knowing who the enemy is, Rossi. You have no idea how much I don't like knowing."

"Oh, I think I might have some idea. We don't know who the enemy is on every case we go to."

Chuck considered him for a moment. He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you do. When we were on the squad, we always knew who our target was. I never knew how nice that actually was until all of this started."

Rossi patted him on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's hope they strike soon so we can finally put all of this behind us." He headed back towards the van. "I do have to admit, though, it has been nice working with you all on this," he added with a smile at the younger man.

Chuck smiled. "Yeah. I've actually enjoyed it. After helping with the whole Mordecai thing, I do have to admit, I kind of missed the action. Well, of course, except for the whole Kahlan almost dying thing. That sucked." Rossi laughed as they both climbed into the van.

**XXXXX**

Kahlan pulled out the pistol under her left arm and put it on the nightstand. Then she started stripping off all of her gear and putting it on the long dresser in the bedroom. Hotch took his suit jacket off as he watched her. The first thing to go was the web gear that went over her shoulders and hooked to a belt at her waist. Then she took off the shoulder holster. Next, she took off the holster at the small of her back. Hotch pulled off his tie as Kahlan then unstrapped the holster around her thigh and took off the belt that was attached to it. He unbuttoned his dress shirt as she reached down and pulled up a pant leg and took off another holster. He shook his head. _Well, so much for not being able to have an ankle holster on, she just had it up on her calf._ She then untied her boots and took a knife out of each one. _Jesus Christ! That's four knives so far. _He sat on the bed and took his shoes and socks off as Kahlan emptied the pockets of her pants into the top drawer of the dresser. Hotch's mouth almost hung open as he watched her put another pistol, three more knives, and a few things he had no idea what they were in the drawer. She took off the brace and put it in there, too.

He stood up and laughed. She looked at him questioningly as she took off her hat and shook her hair out. "What?" she asked him as she shut the drawer.

"I was just thinking that if someone had asked you if you were packin' or not, you'd have to tell them you weren't just packin', you had the whole damn moving truck."

She giggled as she went over to him and put her arms around his neck. "I think the new slang term is 'strapped', Hun."

"Oh, nobody ever tells me these things," he joked with a smile.

"You still have your ankle holster on. I would think that will get very uncomfortable in bed."

"I plan on putting it on the nightstand, but I'm not changing in here."

"Oh, you don't want the guys to see you get undressed?" she teased.

"No, and you're not either," he told her as he bent down and took off his ankle holster and put it on his side of the bed.

She laughed as she grabbed her pajamas out of her bag and waited for him to get his. "Come on, we can change at the same time in the bathroom."

"You're sure they didn't put one in there?"

"Nah, I would think they actually want to continue living."

He laughed as he shut the door behind them.

**XXXXX**

Chuck laughed on the look on Morgan's face. "I told you she wouldn't change in front of the camera."

"Then, you know what? You have to tell me, man. Does she have a tattoo?" Morgan asked him. Chuck just laughed some more, so Morgan turned to Cam. "Come on, you guys have to know."

"You've seen her in a bathing suit," Rossi pointed out.

"Yeah, but she could have one that doesn't show with that," Morgan told him as he looked back and forth between Kahlan's best friends. "Come on," he urged again.

"What difference does it make?" Chuck asked him with a smile that didn't reveal anything.

"Cause I have fifty bucks on the hopes that she does."

Cam, Chuck and Rossi all shook their heads at him, and neither man actually answered him.

Suddenly, sparks erupted from the panel behind the driver seat. A hiss and a few pops were quickly followed by flames. Cam jumped up. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled as he pushed Chuck out of the way and dug into a tub and pulled out a fire extinguisher.

"What the hell?" Rossi asked as he jumped up to get out of the way.

Cam quickly went up to the panel as everything in the van started to shut down. A few short bursts of flame retardant, and the fire was out.

"What caused that?" Morgan asked him as he opened the van doors to let it air out.

"I have no idea," Cam confessed as he started pulling circuit boards and pieces out of the ruined panel.

"Can you fix it?" Rossi asked as he started picking up the ruined pieces off the floor.

"Yeah, it'll take a little while, though."

"You don't think. . ." Chuck started and then looked out of the van toward the safe house. His feeling of dread immediately tripled. They all turned to look at him. "Oh my God!" he yelled and jumped out of the van.

They all jumped out after him. "Just wait a minute!" Rossi called to him, and Chuck stopped and turned to look at him. Rossi looked at Cameron. "Is there a way for someone to do that from a different location?" Rossi asked him as he pointed to the van. They could all tell he thought the malfunction was just that, a malfunction.

Cam looked back at the van and considered it a moment. "None that I know of."

Morgan finally let out the breath he'd been holding. "Damn, Chuck, way to scare someone."

Chuck looked at the van and then back towards the safe house. "No," he started as he shook his head. "Something's not right. I can feel it!" he told them as he drew one of his pistols and started for the safe house.

The other three men shared a look and then followed Chuck. "Chuck!" Morgan called quietly. Chuck stopped and looked at him. "Let's approach stealthfully, just in case there is someone there." Chuck nodded and they all started down the street crouched in a half-run.

They all watched the street around them as they silently made their way toward Hotch and Kahlan. Chuck's heart started beating faster the closer they got. He stopped suddenly when movement to his left caught his eye. His eyes scanned the shadows. "What?" Morgan asked quietly as he came up behind him.

A cat came running out from behind a line of trashcans, and Chuck shook his head. _Damn, paranoid much?_ He huffed and started back down the street.

Once they got to the end of the street, they turned to go up the block. Once they could finally see the safe house, they slowed their pace. Nothing looked out of order, and Rossi prayed that they'd get to the house and find Kahlan and Hotch in bed. He also knew that they would have to make it known that they were there so none of them got shot by the couple who weren't expecting friends to be showing up within an hour of them getting to the house.

Once they were two houses away, the house containing their coworkers, their friends, their loved ones; blew up in a massive ball of fire and debris. "NO!" Chuck yelled and took off as fast as he could.

Rossi's breath hitched in his chest and he stumbled to his knees. "Oh my God!"

Morgan sped up to grab Chuck. He tackled him to the ground, but Chuck rolled him off and scrambled to get back on his feet. "They might still be in there!" he yelled as he tried to get closer.

"No, Chuck!" Morgan yelled as he grabbed one of his feet to try and stop him from entering the burning house.

Chuck tried to shake him off as Morgan's hands started up his leg. "They might still be alive," he cried.

Cam finally reached the struggling men. "No, Chuck, there's no way," he started as he tried to hold his friend back, too.

With strength born of anguish, Chuck shook them off and went for the house again. Morgan dove for him, but only succeeded in grabbing one leg. Cam tried to grab him around the back. "Let me go!" Chuck demanded as he wrenched free again. Morgan scrambled to get him again. Cam finally launched himself on Chuck's back and reached around to his shoulder. "Get off of me!" Chuck yelled as he cried.

He only took one more step before Cam hit the right place and Chuck went limp. Morgan caught him before he hit the ground as he gave Cam a look of appreciation through his tears. Cam ran a hand through his hair as tears streamed down his face, but he took out his phone and called 911.

Morgan looked around and saw Rossi on his knees, and he quickly ran to him. "Rossi?" Morgan asked as he slid to a stop next to the older man. Rossi looked up at him, and Morgan could see the fear in his eyes and the tears that were streaming down his face. "Come on, man. We got to get you out of the street." Rossi nodded and slowly got to his feet. Cam ran back and got the van. He moved it closer to the burning house so they could load Chuck into it.

Within ten minutes, fire and police showed up. Morgan ran to them to let them know what had happened, and Rossi sat on the back edge of the van, as Cam called JJ to let her know what happened. JJ assured him that she would call everyone else in the group and that they would stop by and get Garcia. They were all going to meet at the warehouse. Cam thanked her and went to Rossi.

Within forty-five minutes, the fire was out and Chuck started to moan as he started to regain consciousness. Cam quickly got up and went to him. Chuck's eyes started to flutter as his hand went to where his neck and shoulder met. He rubbed the obviously sore spot and then finally came fully awake. His eyes snapped open and he looked around frantically. Cam put his hand on Chuck's knee to try and comfort him. Tears started streaming out of Chuck's eyes as he remembered what had happened. A look of anger overtook his features, though, and he violently shoved Cameron away from him. "Get away from me!" he yelled as he got up and headed for the back of the van. Morgan and Rossi quickly moved out of the way so he could get out.

"Chuck," Rossi started.

Chuck fixed him with a look. "I could have saved them!"

"Chuck," Cam started as he stepped out of the van.

Chuck moved into a defensive posture. "I don't care if I do love you like a brother, you ever pull that shit on me again, I swear I will kill you!"

Cam held up his hands in submission. "Chuck, you couldn't have gone in there!"

"You would have been killed," Morgan told him.

Chuck shook his head violently. "You don't know that!"

Rossi went to him and put his hands on his shoulders as Chuck looked toward the burnt out wreckage. "Charles Leroy Lane!" Chuck finally looked at him. "You think Kahlan would have wanted you to sacrifice yourself? You have a woman you're going to marry and a baby on the way who need you!" Chuck went to say something, but he shook his head as tears started to spill out of his eyes again. He dropped to his knees limply and started crying uncontrollably. Rossi bent down and pulled him to him in a hug. "I know, I know," Rossi told him as his own tears started again as he rubbed circles on Chuck's back.

After about five minutes, Chuck's breathing started to even out. He finally pulled away from Rossi and wiped his face. "Maybe they weren't in there," he stated weakly. "Maybe they got out."

Before any of them could tell him that they had already searched the surrounding area, the Fire Marshal walked up behind them. "Agents?" Rossi quickly stood up and looked at the man. "We found them. Two bodies in the bedroom. One male one female, but they were. . ." He licked his lips and swallowed hard. He held out a small plastic bag. "Here are the personal effects that were found."

"Oh, God!" Chuck cried as he stood up and looked at the bag. Two melted cell phones, a burned up wallet, pieces of a badge that clearly belonged to Hotch, and several other burnt and discolored objects made his stomach lurch. He took one more look at the men around him, looked at the bag again, and took off down the street in a dead run.

"Chuck!" Morgan called and turned to go after him.

"No, Morgan! Let him be," Cam told him as he put a hand on Morgan's arm to stop him.

Morgan ran a hand over his bald head and turned back to the Marshal.

Rossi reached a tentative hand out and took the bag. His bottom lip quivered and his hands started shaking.

"I am so sorry for your loss," the Marshal told them sincerely.

"Thank you," Cam told him and then turned to Morgan. "Let's get out of here." He went and put a supporting arm around Rossi's shoulders.

Morgan looked at the Marshal and he nodded, so Morgan nodded to Cameron and helped get Rossi into the back of the van. He moved up to the passenger seat, and Cam got in the driver's seat. They drove to the warehouse in silence.


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56**

Cam walked into the warehouse first. "Oh, Puddin!" Garcia cried and went to her husband. They swallowed each other in a hug and they both cried for the loss of their loved ones.

Rossi sulked in next. He patted Cam on the shoulder as he passed him and went to the table. Before he could sit down, JJ left the comfort of her husband's arms and wrapped Rossi in a hug, too. As she rubbed a hand up and down his back, Rossi couldn't hold back his tears any longer, either.

Morgan walked in, and while he wasn't actively crying, everyone could tell he had earlier. Mina went to him quickly and they both found quiet comfort in each other's arms. Mina may have been the newest member to the group, but she had come to admire Hotch and Kahlan very much.

"Where's Chuck?" Mack asked them as she looked back toward the door and it was obvious that he wasn't with them.

Cameron pulled away from Garcia and shook his head. "I don't know. He took off."

Mack looked at the rest of the group. Reid was sitting in one of the chairs with his legs drawn up in front of him and his face was hidden as his head rested on his thighs. "Should we go look for him?" she asked desperately.

Rossi finally pulled away from JJ and walked over and sank into a chair. "Where would you even start to look?" he asked her weakly.

"But. . ." Mack started as her tears threatened to start again. "He shouldn't be alone right now!"

Will went to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "He might be home with Vinnie," he suggested.

"He'll show up. He just needs some time alone," Cam assured her as he led Garcia to a seat and took the one next to her, never letting go of her hand in the process.

Morgan and Mina also took seats next to each other, and they were so close that they legs were touching.

Will steered Mack to a chair and then pulled his wife back to him as he sat down and made her sit on his lap.

They all looked at each other, but none of them spoke. They were all still in shock over the whole thing.

After some time, Reid finally lifted his head and looked at the three men who had returned. "What happened?" They all knew by his tone that he was not accusing any of them; he just really needed to understand.

Rossi shook his head and was the first to speak. "I don't know."

Cam took a deep breath. "Everything in the van went out," he started. Almost all of them turned shocked looks to him. "I don't know what happened. I haven't looked at it yet." Garcia patted him on the leg to show her support of him.

"Then Chuck said he felt something was wrong and we made our way to the safe house," Morgan took up the narrative.

"When we got close enough to see the house, it blew up in our faces," Cam finished.

"How? What was the cause?" Will asked quickly.

Cam shook his head. "They didn't know yet, but they were investigating it. We should know once they have it figured out."

Mack jumped up. "Well if the van was down, maybe you all didn't see them get out! Maybe they. . ."

Rossi put the bag of burnt effects on the table. "They found them," is all he said and then took a shuddering breath.

They all stared at the bag and its contents. Mack sank back into her chair. Any hope that the couple had performed a miracle was squashed by the burnt remains. Garcia's hand went to her mouth as she turned away quickly and buried her face in Cameron's chest. He put his arm around her to try and comfort her as she cried again.

They all sat in silence for what seemed like forever, and they all jumped when the door was slammed open and Chuck came in. He looked at all of them, but he didn't say anything as he made his way into the warehouse. "Oh, Chuckles!" Garcia yelled and stood up and started for him.

Chuck held up a hand and stopped her. "Don't!" he yelled. Garcia froze as they all took in the anger on his face. Cameron was the only one of them who had ever seen him mad. Chuck was always so happy go lucky and he almost always wore a smile. Some of them might even say that he was a little crazy. Sure, they had seen him serious and upset, but never mad. He sidestepped her and went to the back of the warehouse with all of them watching him. He kicked a bag out of his way and then threw another, and finally grabbed his own bag, threw it over his shoulder, and headed back for the door.

"Chuck," Mack started as she got up and stepped in front of him. He put an arm out and pushed her to the side.

"Don't you touch her!" Reid yelled at him as he jumped up.

Chuck stopped and fixed him with a look. "And what to do you think you can do to stop me?" he asked him and they could all hear the venom in his tone.

Cam jumped up and went to the other side of the table to get closer to him. "Charles! I know you're upset. . ."

"Upset?! Upset?!" Chuck yelled at him. "I'm not upset, Cameron! I'm pissed! I told you all! I warned you, but would you listen? No! You had to let them do it!" He screamed as he looked at them all, but his gazed finally fell on Rossi. "They'll be fine, you said! It's your fault!"

Rossi felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach, and he hung his head because he realized Chuck was right.

"Shut up!" Morgan yelled as he too stood up. "It's not anyone's fault except the son of a bitch who's responsible for blowing up that damn house!"

"Yeah? And who is that, Morgan?" Chuck asked in a scream. "You still don't know do you?" He searched the faces around him. "You're no closer to the answer now than when you all made this plan!" He shook his head and laughed. "So they sacrificed themselves for nothing!"

"Enough!" JJ yelled as she stood up. Will also stood up. "You're not the only one who lost a friend Chuck! We all loved them!"

Chuck stared at her, never seeing anger come from JJ before made his anger finally leave him. "But not as much as I did! She wasn't just a friend," he told her as eyes filled with tears. "She was my sister, and the only one who really knew me," he finished as the tears spilled out of his eyes and over his cheeks.

JJ went to him and pulled him into a hug. "I know, Chuck. I know." He broke down and cried into her shoulder. "She was like a sister to us all," she told him as she rubbed circles on his back. "And he was our brother."

"But now I don't have anyone," he told her through his sobs.

Morgan went up and put a hand on his back. "That's not true, Chuck," he started and Chuck pulled away from JJ to look at him. "You have of us," Morgan told him sincerely.

Most of them joined him around Chuck. "We're a family, just like we've always been," Garcia told him as she pulled him into a hug.

After a moment, he pulled away from her and pulled Mack into a hug. "I'm sorry," he told her.

"It's ok, I understand," Mack told him as she pulled him to her more tightly.

He nodded into her shoulder and then pulled away from her. He looked at them all as he wiped his face. "I'm sorry. I had no right to yell at any of you. I know you loved them, too." He looked and saw Rossi still sitting with his head in his hands. He walked up to him and put a hand on Rossi's shoulder. "Jesus, Dave, I'm so sorry." Dave finally looked up at him, and Chuck pulled him up and into a strong hug. "I know you loved them like they were your own kids. It's not your fault. I should have never had said that. I know you would have given your life for them, just like me."

Rossi hugged him just as tightly. "It's alright, Chuck. We all loved them."

After a few moments, Chuck finally pulled away from him. "I'm an ass, I know it," he started and then looked at Reid. "If you want to hit me, I'll let you."

Reid smiled weakly. "Nah, I don't want to hurt my hand." Everyone laughed.

Chuck looked at them all again. "Please forgive me."

Rossi put his hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing to forgive. We'll get through this."

Chuck nodded and wiped his face again. They all went back to their seats and Chuck joined them. "Has anyone called anyone?"

Rossi looked at JJ and she shook her head. Rossi swallowed hard. "I can't call any of them. I need to tell them personally."

"Does anyone even know where the kids are?" Garcia asked as she suddenly realized she didn't know.

Chuck took a deep breath. "Donna has them," he told her.

"What's going to happen to the kids?" Mack asked them. They all looked to Rossi, but he shrugged because he didn't know.

"Do any of you know if they had a will?" Reid asked them.

Cameron straightened in his chair and they all looked at him. "Yes, but they haven't updated it since Joey was born, I guess it doesn't really matter."

"Have you read it?" Rossi asked him.

"Yes, I was a witness for it."

"What do they want to. . ." He swallowed hard; he couldn't make himself to speak of them in the past tense yet. "What about the kids?" Rossi asked him.

Cameron took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "Their first choice is you, Dave, but only if you will move into their house. They don't want the kids to have to change schools and such."

Rossi gave him a shocked look. "What?"

"Your Joey's Godfather, and the kids love you like a Grandpa. Come on, you have to know how much Hotch and Kay loved you."

Rossi put his face in his hands as he put his elbows on the table.

"And if he won't? " JJ asked not sure what Rossi was thinking.

"Then Donna and Mike, but they also have the same conditions."

Rossi shook his head as he looked up. "Of course I will take them," he told them. He loved the kids as if they were his own grandkids. He loved Donna, too, but if Hotch and Kahlan wanted him to be the kids' legal guardian he would, and he would do his damnedest to make sure he made them proud.

"You won't have to do it alone. We're all family," Garcia made sure to point out again.

"Of course, and they will need each and every one of us," Rossi told them seriously.

"You're not going to let them see that, are you?" Mack asked as she gestured to the bag sitting on the table.

Rossi looked at the bag. "The only things in there worth passing on are their rings."

Chuck grabbed the bag and opened it. His fingers dug down into the bottom of it and found the rings. He put two of them on the table and wrapped the other one in his shirt. "You can't let them see them like this," he told him as he scrubbed the ring with the material. "One of you guys have cleaner, right?" he asked the girls around the table.

"Yeah. I'll make sure they shine before Rossi gives them to them," Garcia told him with a small smile.

Once he got all of the disgusting things that were on the ring off, he held it in his fingers. His eyes started to water as he looked at. He sighed deeply as he stared at it and remembered the day they got married. It was the happiest he had ever seen Kahlan. Rossi put a hand on his back as if knowing what he was thinking about.

"I guess I could give each of them one," Rossi mused.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57**

Chuck wiped his eyes and looked at the ring a little more closely. "Wait, this isn't her ring."

Rossi looked at him and then at the rings on the table. "That must be Hotch's then. That's probably hers," he told him as he pointed to the other band on the table that was beside Kahlan's diamond.

"No! It's not his either!" Chuck told him excitedly as he locked eyes with him.

"What?!" Rossi asked quickly.

Chuck held the ring out so Rossi could get a closer look at it. "Their rings had a design on them!"

Rossi grabbed the ring as everyone sat up a little straighter. "What do you mean, design?"

"I don't know what it was, but it had a these little designs on it," he told him as he looked to everyone around him for backup hoping one of them knew what he was talking about.

"Yeah, they did," Garcia agreed. "Hotch had them engraved. I helped him find the place to do it," she told them as she held out her hand for the ring.

Rossi quickly gave it to her. "What kind of design?" he asked as Chuck grabbed the other band and started cleaning it, too.

"It was a male and female symbol intertwined in the middle flanked by another male symbol on each side to represent the boys," Garcia told them frantically as she turned the over and over searching for it.

"Could it have worn off?" Morgan asked desperately.

Chuck and Garcia shared a look. "I don't know. It was pretty light," Garcia told him truthfully.

Chuck stood up quickly. "Did they take a DNA sample?" Chuck's breathing quickened. Even if it was just a sliver of a chance it wasn't them, he had to know for sure.

His excitement was infecting them all and they all started to wonder if the bodies found in the house were truly Hotch and Kahlan.

"I don't know," Cam told him.

"They must be at the morgue," Reid pointed out.

Morgan took out his phone quickly as he walked away from the table.

Rossi was suddenly very happy to not have told anyone yet.

"But if it's not them, then where are they, and who was in that house?" Mack asked.

They all looked at each other; they had no idea.

**XXXXX**

As Hotch started to regain consciousness, he realized two things: first, his head was pounding, and second, his shoulders and elbows were screaming in pain. He moaned as he tried to move his arms, but he couldn't. His foggy brain also told him that his face was pressing up against something hard. He opened his eyes and panic struck him because he couldn't see. Fear made his breathing quicken, and he realized it also hurt to breathe. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will himself to calm down. As his mind started to clear, he realized he was lying on the floor in an awkward position. His legs were sort of drawn up underneath him and his face was supporting most of his weight. He took a couple of deep breaths, straightened his legs out, and moved over onto his stomach. It took the pressure off of his face, but the move made his shoulders and arms hurt even more as he then realized that there was something in between his arms and chest. He tried to breathe through the pain in his arms and chest and get himself into a sitting position. After several failed attempts, he finally made it. He relaxed a little as the pain in his arms receded to a dull ache. His heart leaped with joy as he finally realized that he could see; he was just in a very dark room as he noticed a thin line of light that was coming from underneath what he assumed was a door. He also heard some sort of motor running. He wasn't sure what it was, but it sounded like an air conditioner or something like it outside of the room.

He tried to get his breathing under control as he sat there trying to figure out what had happened. _Oh my God! Kahlan!_ Looking around the dark room didn't reveal anything, so drew his legs up under him and tried to stand. Once he was half way there, he felt pressure on his hands and he fell back to the floor. He knew there was a pole or something in between his arms and his chest that was keeping his arms in front of him in an extremely uncomfortable position. He also knew his arms wrapped around it and bent towards his back and his hands were bound behind him, so it kept a constant painful pressure on his shoulders and elbows. He realized with more horror that his hands weren't just bound behind him; they were also chained to something that didn't allow for much slack. His hands felt around as he scooted backwards to try and figure out what he was chained to. He finally felt the wall behind him and his shoulder ran into some sort of holder. He moved around and tried to feel with his hands. Sure enough, there was a chain hooked to the holder with a padlock. _God Damn it!_ He couldn't actually feel where the chain was connected to him, but he knew it was hooked to him somehow. He wasn't sure what the pole was made out of, so he used all of his strength and pulled back with his shoulders hoping to break it. The move only succeeded in pressing the pole to his chest harder, and with the way his chest was already hurting, he knew the pole had already bruised him. _Damn it! I can't get enough leverage!_ He shook his head and then saw how far he could get away from the wall. After about three feet, he was pulled to a stop.

With the chain not allowing for very much movement, he went to stretch his legs out. He finally realized that his feet were bare. His brows furrowed as he tried to recall what he was doing. _We were in the bathroom. We were going to get ready for bed. What the hell happened?_ He held his breath to try and get his heart to slow down and realized that there was another noise in the room. He strained to focus his hearing on the just the room around him and his heart sank. He could just make out the sound of labored breathing. _Oh God!_ He knew it was Kahlan and he was scared. She didn't sound very good. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he knew his own lungs burned so he figured they had breathed in something, and if it hurt his lungs, then Kahlan was in trouble because hers had already been damaged by the powder. He knew she hadn't healed fully, and there was a chance that her lungs would never actually fully heal after all of the damage they had already sustained. He wanted to call out to her, but he wasn't sure who was behind their imprisonment and whether or not he or she was on the other side or the door.

He stretched his legs out and felt around with them, hoping he would come in contact with her. Searching to the right came up empty, but as he moved his legs to the front of him, his toes hit something. He almost cried in relief as his foot felt around and he realized that he was touching her side. He pushed on her with his toes, but she didn't react. He pushed a little harder and his heart sank even further. He pressed his foot up against her firmly, and he could feel her chest heaving. _No! Please God! Please let her be alright!_ He wasn't sure if she was chained up like him, but he could tell she was lying on her back with her arms behind her. He didn't think she was bound up with the pole or anything like he was, so he hoped her hands were just tied up. He didn't want to think of her being in pain like he was from the strange imprisonment. He nudged her again, but she still didn't react. His fear over being exposed to something like botulism made his breathing quicken. He had no idea what else they could have been exposed to, and it scared the shit out of him. _I am so sorry, Babe! _He had no idea what they were going to do, but he tried to find some solace in the fact that at least they were together.

**XXXXX**

After Morgan had called the morgue and told them they wanted DNA tests run on the bodies, he called their lab and had an agent run over there and collect the samples. Since Hotch was an agent, they had a sample of his DNA on file. Cam then ran out and went and got a sample of Kahlan's DNA. While he was gone, Chuck explained that they had samples for situations just like this, but they weren't in any database. The forensic scientist in the lab said she would rush the results once she had the samples.

The next person they heard from the OCI, Origin and Cause Investigator, of the fire department that handled the house. They had found pieces of what they believed to be a bomb in the remains of the house. They weren't sure of the actual make-up of it, but they were sure they found the detonator for it. He also told them that he would have the fragments and any other evidence they found sent over to them.

Rossi and Chuck had called DNI Clapper to let him know what had happened. He was livid. He knew they were trying to set a trap to draw Hotch's adversary in, but he couldn't believe that someone had pulled off killing two if his best people. Rossi went on to tell him their suspicions about the bodies, and Clapper made them promise an update as soon as they knew for sure. He also told them that they would have anything they needed to help track down the son of a bitch who was responsible, and he officially put Rossi in charge of the whole thing.

After Cam had taken the DNA sample to Quantico, he stayed in the van to try and figure out what had happened. He always prided himself on the maintenance of his equipment. For it to fail was unbelievable, but for it to fail at a time when they needed it the most was out right damning. Mack and Reid helped him the best they could. When he was done dissecting everything, he was madder than Chuck had been, and Mack and Reid quickly jumped out of the van to get out of his way. They had never seen that kind of hate in the man's eyes before, and while Chuck had been scary, it was disturbing to see it on a face that was so always calm and collected. They ran to follow him into the warehouse.

"The son of a bitch sabotaged my God damn van!" he yelled as he threw a twisted up piece of plastic and metal onto the table in front of everybody.

They all looked at the mangled piece and then back to Cam in shock. While most of them couldn't tell what was on the table in front of them, they all knew Cam knew what he was talking about; and they could all tell he was furious.

"What do you mean?" Will asked him before anyone else could.

Garcia quickly grabbed the object and looked at her husband. They could all tell she knew what is was and it had pissed her off, too. She sat it down in disgust and started in on her laptop.

"What is it?" Mina asked as she picked it up and looked at it.

"In simple terms it's a computer bomb. Somebody took out some of my components and inserted that. It had a remote detonator on it, and once it went off, it sent a surge through the system effectively frying everything in the van," Cam told them as he went to his wife to see what she was doing.

"Would someone have to have computer skills to accomplish that?" Rossi asked him.

"Not like Pen and I, but more than the average person. Would you know which panel to install something like that in?"

Rossi huffed. "I'd be lucky to actually tell a panel from a hard drive, but I understand."

Garcia shook her head as she made tisking noises. They all looked at her and she spun her laptop around so they could see it. A video of the van in the parking garage at the BAU played on the screen. They all got up and gathered closer together so they could all see the little screen. The back of the van was away from the camera, put the lights in the van came on telling them all that someone had gotten into it. After several minutes the lights came on again to tell them that their unsub had exited.

"Son of a bitch!" Morgan and Chuck both yelled at the same time. Morgan accentuated his remark by slamming a fist down on the table.

"It's obvious they know where the cameras are," JJ pointed out.

"Do you, by chance, have any kind of camera inside the van?" Reid asked with hope in his voice.

Cam took a deep breath as he looked at the anxious faces around him. "I do, but I don't know it if survived the surge. That damn thing sent a surge comparable to a lighting strike through all of my equipment, but I'll go start revamping it," he told them and then headed back outside.

"I know a little about computers; I'll go help," Mina told them as she stood up and followed Cam out the door. Mack jumped up to go help, too.

XXX

Four hours later, they had the DNA results that normally took 6-8 hours. They all silently watched Morgan's phone as he laid it down and put it on speaker. Most of them even held their breath. "The samples from the bodies at the morgue are not Agent Hotchner and his wife," the forensic specialist told them, and there was a general releasing of breaths and visible relaxing of those around the table.

"You are absolutely sure about that?" Rossi asked with authority. He didn't want to leave any room for doubt.

"I can run a few more tests to get it to 100%, but I can say without any reservations that I am 90% sure as of right now."

"Thank you, but I would like those other tests run anyway," Rossi told her and he couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice.

"But you don't need to rush those," Morgan added quickly.

"Yes, sir. I will let you know as soon as those are done," she told them and ended the call.

They all stared at each other, and smiles slowly spread across most of their faces. Rossi looked at Chuck, he was the only one not smiling. Tears were silently making their way down his cheeks again. Rossi got up and went to him. "It's alright, son. They're not dead," he told him as he put a supportive hand on Chuck's shoulder.

"I know. It just feels so good to know it, that I. . ." Chuck started and then dropped his head into his hands.

Rossi rubbed his back. "Yes it does, Chuck. Yes it does."

**XXXXX**

Hotch wasn't sure how long he sat there, but he kept his foot up against his wife the whole time wanting and waiting for her to make some movement, some noise to signal she that was awake. _Come on, Babe, wake up, please! _He was tired, but he had to stay awake for Kahlan's sake, that and he didn't think that he could actually sleep with the way he was bound up. As time went on, though, his lungs stopped burning and hurting, so it gave him a small glimmer of hope that whatever they had inhaled wasn't deadly.

His head snapped to the door when he heard a lock turning. He quickly pulled his legs back and drew them up under him so he could at least maneuver a little if it came down to it.

The door slowly opened and Hotch realized it must have been heavy, and by the sound of the lock, it must have been pretty heavy, too. He had to look away from it because of the bright light that came streaming in.

"So you are awake," a voice said to him.

Hotch was pretty sure it was a man's voice and he was also pretty sure he had heard the voice before, but he couldn't place it immediately. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the door. There was a tall figure standing in the door way, but he couldn't actually see anything of it because all he saw was a dark figure outlined by the bright sunlight flooding in behind him. He wasn't sure if the sun was coming up or going down, either.

The figure stepped forward and reached a hand to his right. A light in the ceiling came on, and Hotch's blood ran cold. "You!" Hotch half growled as he took in who had taken them prisoner.


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58**

Once Rossi got Chuck calmed down, he called Clapper to let him know that the bodies in the house were not the Hotchners. Clapper was very relived. "Then where are they?"

"I don't know, Sir. We just found out, so we haven't had time to formulate any theories yet," Rossi told him truthfully.

"I understand. I'm not trying to rush you into anything, Agent Rossi. I just can't believe this has happened."

"Yes, Sir. I will keep you updated as we work our way through this," Rossi assured him.

"No you won't."

"Sir?"

"I need you to be completely honest with me, Agent Rossi."

"Yes, Sir," Rossi started not knowing where Clapper was heading with the conversation.

"Do you trust the people you are with right now?"

Rossi looked at the faces around the table a few feet away. "With my life, Sir."

"With the Hotchners' lives, too?"

"Without a doubt, Sir," Rossi told him confidently.

"Then I want you all to do what you have to do. Don't tell anyone anything that you don't need to, and that includes me. If you need my authorization for anything, just know you have it, and I will back you up completely. Something with this whole thing stinks, and until you all can figure it out, I don't want you to trust anyone outside of whatever little group you hand pick."

"I understand, Sir."

"I know that makes your job even harder Agent Rossi, but with Hotchner's trap backfiring on him, there has to be a leak or someone that has been overlooked. If there is even a slim chance that the Hotchners can be found and saved, I don't want the wrong person to find out about it."

"Yes, Sir."

"Does anyone else know about the results of the DNA tests?"

"Just the Tech who did them."

"I will take care of that. The tests will disappear, and to everyone else, the Hotchners died in that house, Agent."

"I understand, Sir."

"Very well. Contact me if you need to, but I hope I don't hear from you until this whole thing has been resolved."

"Yes, Sir."

"Good luck, Agent. I really hope this gets solved in a positive way."

"Thank you, Sir," Rossi told him and then put his phone away as Clapper ended the call. Rossi smiled to himself. What he had learned of Clapper over the years made him think that he would like him, but after talking to the man, Rossi was sure he did. Clapper had been in the Air Force and a field agent, and Rossi was impressed with his ability to still think like an agent and not like a politician like so many other directors.

Rossi took a deep breath, joined the others at the table, and told them what the DNI said.

**XXXXX**

"What? You were expecting someone else?" Damian asked Hotch with a grin as he threw something down on the floor.

Hotch had to bite his tongue. He wanted to tell the arrogant ass off, but he really wasn't in the position to do anything at the moment, so the agent in him took over and tried to find out as much as he could. "What did you do to her?" Hotch asked him as he looked at Kahlan. She was laying on the floor with her hands behind her and Hotch was relieved to see that she didn't looked harmed, but he was still scared that she hadn't woken up yet.

"The same thing I did to you. It was just a little gas to make you go to sleep," Damian told him as he looked at Kahlan with concern.

The way he was looking at her made Hotch's hands ball into fists. "You really think it was wise to gas her after your powder almost killed her?!" Hotch yelled at him. He knew Damian liked Kahlan and if he had to exploit that for his own gain, then he would.

"Whoa! How is it my powder? You all called me in after that!"

"Check her!" Hotch demanded as he choose to ignore Damian's claims. He knew Damian didn't have anything to do with the powder, but he didn't want him to know that.

"I'm not that stupid. She could be faking, and as soon as I get within hands reach. . ." He shook his head. "No, I don't think so," he told him with another grin.

"Then release me so I can! Look at the way she's breathing for Christ's sake!" He saw that Damian had thrown down Kahlan's shoes onto the floor, so he figured that meant he wanted her to leave with him.

Damian appraised Kahlan one more time. "She'll either live or die," he told Hotch plainly.

_What?! Maybe he doesn't want her! Shit!_ Hotch decided to try a different approach. "Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why have you done this?"

"Oh, you mean, why have I kidnapped you?"

"Yeah, for starters," Hotch told him sarcastically. Then he held his breath and tried to calm himself down because he knew if he let his anger over the whole thing erupt, then he wouldn't get anywhere.

"Oh, well that's your fault," Damian started.

_What?_ Hotch wanted to yell.

"Let me explain it terms you might understand," Damian started again using the same line and insolent tone that Hotch had used with him at the lodge. "It was all so innocent to begin with. I really liked her," he told him as he pointed to Kahlan, and Hotch's blood started to boil. "But after getting to know you a little and actually seeing you in action, I was impressed. I actually started to like you. When we found out there was a hit on you, I thought that if they actually succeeded, then great. I could comfort Kay. If they didn't, then fine. At that point in time it really didn't matter to me one way or the other."

"At that point?" Hotch asked him warily. _If you liked me, then why in the hell are you doing this?_

"See, I've always been a very curious person, and when you all called the CIA in, I just had to steal one of their badges. I used it to hack into their computers. You know, just to take a look at what our friends in the CIA were doing. I was trolling through it and then I was floored." Hotch's brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what Damian was talking about. "Did you know they have a file on you?" Hotch's look of surprise made Damian laugh. "Nah, I guess not. Anyway, you could imagine my surprise when you and your team were named as being the ones to take down an international assassin."

_Oh shit!_ Hotch was really starting to hate where the conversation was headed.

"They didn't have a whole lot in the file, but what I read pissed me off."

"Why is that?" Hotch asked not really wanting to know.

"How should I put this?" he asked as he put his hand to his chin. "Winters is my mother's name. My parents never wanted me to take my father's name because I never would have been able to get into the squad or anything."

Hotch felt the acid in his stomach start to come up into his chest. _No! This cannot be true!_

"Demitri Mordecai was my father, and when he disappeared off the face of the earth over six months ago, I figured I'd never be able to find out what happened to him."

_Son of a bitch!_ Hotch wanted to scream.

"And then to find the CIA file that explained it all was beyond lucky, but to find out it was you and your team to take him down. . ." He took a deep breath. "It listed Mordecai as having kidnapped a Kahlan Hunter, and that didn't click right away, but after a little research, I found out that Kay had indeed been married before. It was obvious to me then, that you were the one to kill him because he had taken your wife. You all used her other name to try and keep the connection between you secret."

Hotch stared at him as he ground his teeth.

"You did kill him, didn't you?"

Hotch swallowed hard. "Yes." _God! I can't let him know Dave did it; he'd go after him next!_

Damian smiled. "I thought so. Anyway, once I found that out, I knew I had to take it upon myself to make sure you died. You know, avenge my father's name and all that."

_Ok, now I know why._ "And how did you do that?"

"After the failed attempt on your life at the lodge, I knew to get any results that the reward had to be increased. I traced down Daniels' phone. . ."

"How? It can't be traced," Hotch insisted.

"It can with the right equipment," he told him with a cocky grin. "It's actually brand new technology. I would have loved to share it with Kay and her team, but after using it for my own agenda, I had to keep it a secret."

"So you are the one who upped the reward to $100,000?"

"Yep. Daniels' partner had it. I found him in some studio apartment. You should have seen it. The man was the biggest nerd I've ever seen. He had a bunch of stupid toys in glass cases all around." He laughed in disgust. "He was also one of the biggest wimps I've ever seen, too. I killed him, and took Daniels' phone. He already had all of his contacts in one place. I just sent out a new message. I have no idea how they missed, though. Hell, I even told them when you'd be showing up! Could they accomplish a simple task? No! You just wouldn't die! So I had to set up the website and try to draw a few more people in. I really was hoping to get a professional or two."

"But you were part of the team that helped stop those hits in the hospital," Hotch pointed out.

"Yeah. Once you sit up the trap there, I had to follow through. I couldn't let anyone know that I was the one behind it. I still hoped that someone would catch you."

"So you're not actually working with Daniels, you came up with all this on your own?" Hotch had to make sure.

"Daniels was an idiot! He caused all of that chaos just to cover his ass, but I guess you haven't figured that out yet, either huh?"

"Oh you mean, Daniel McClellan, Terry Michaels, Samuel Gets, and Henry Walkers, just to name a few?" Hotch asked sarcastically. They had already figured out the reasons behind the terrorist attacks. Daniels and his dirty SWAT team were under investigation with Internal Affairs, and several of the witnesses that were going to help with the cases against Daniels' team were killed in the various attacks. It was genius. No one even put any of it together until Hotch's team took a closer look at things.

"Wow. I'm impressed. I didn't think anyone had figured it out. I guess it doesn't really matter though. It was obvious that you all thought that there was someone else involved, and since I killed his little Star Wars friend, all I had to do was select someone to frame for it, and finally go after you myself. You were so easy to follow. I thought about killing you in that cheap ass motel, but then Kay showed up. Then I followed you to where your kids were," he stopped and fixed Hotch with a look of bewilderment. "What kind of man goes to his kids when he knows he's a target?"

Hotch just looked at him. He couldn't say anything because he agreed with him. They had thought it was safe, but once they knew it wasn't, he had wanted to die for thinking he had put them all in danger.

"And then I stood there watching Kay on that porch. I could tell she was trying to figure it out, and I just smiled. Then that damn hell hound came after me." Hotch tried to hide the smile that wanted to creep onto his face. "I really thought about killing it, but I could tell she liked it; so I just wounded it to try and get it to leave me alone. Son of bitch got my leg, though," Damian told him as he rubbed a hand down the back of his left calf.

_That's my boy!_ "So why didn't you just come after me then?" Hotch asked him.

"Because I didn't want to kill you in front of your kids. I may want you dead, put I'm not a monster. If you would have just died when you were supposed to, everything would have been fine. Kay and the kids would have moved on with their lives, and maybe she would have found comfort from the people around her," he told Hotch with a sly grin.

Hotch bit his lip. He could just imagine what kind of comfort he wanted to give her and it made the heat of anger rise up his neck.

"And then when you threw that little party in the bullpen and let everyone know where you'd be staying, well, it just made it too easy. Again, though, I didn't think you'd take your wife with you." He shook his head at Hotch. "You just don't care about the safety of the people around you do you?"

Hotch huffed and shook his head. _You definitely don't know her!_

"It was also obvious that there wouldn't be any cameras in the bathroom of that house. All I had to do was rig the gas to start as soon as the bathroom door was shut, and viola, a sleeping agent for me to do what I wanted with. But you had to bring her didn't you? If you would have been man enough to man your own trap without her, she wouldn't be here. It's your fault she is."

_Son of a bitch!_ Hotch closed his eyes and looked at the floor. _I am so sorry, Babe._

"So instead of you dying alone and her moving on, I had to change things up and take you both. You'll still die, but she'll have to come with me," he told him with a grin.

"You won't get away with this. My team will find us."

Damian laughed. "I don't think so."

"You might think that you have accomplished this without anyone catching on, but they will figure it out and they will find us," Hotch insisted.

"How can they find you when they aren't even looking for you?" Damian asked plainly and then laughed again.

**XXXXX**

The whole group at the warehouse sat in silence. They were all trying to figure out what had happened to the Hotchners. Knowing they didn't die in that house was beyond joyous, but not knowing where they were was almost as bad as thinking they were dead. "Chuck was right; we aren't any closer to knowing who is behind this than we were yesterday," JJ pointed out. They were all tired from being up all night already, and the stress of the situation was starting to build again. It was obvious that Hotch and Kahlan had been taken, but without knowing who was behind it, made it impossible to try and figure out where they were.

"At least we know they are alive," Rossi pointed out.

"Are we sure there were no other remains in the house?" Mack asked and they all looked at her. "Could the bodies found belong to whoever was after Hotch and they got trapped in their own explosion?"

"With their effects being put with the bodies, somebody wanted us to believe they were dead," Reid pointed out.

"So you think that two people were killed in their place to try and throw us off?" JJ wanted to make sure they were all on the same page.

"That has to be it. I don't know who those people were, and I'm sorry they are dead, but I'm really glad it's not Kay and Hotch," Chuck told her.

"Maybe if we can identify those bodies, that will give us a clue as to who killed them," Cam pointed out.

Rossi smiled at him. "That's right up our alley. Another case with new victims and a new unsub to find."

"So you all concentrate on that, and we'll. . ." He shook his head. "I'm not sure what we should do."

"We can concentrate on the house. If we can figure out how they got in there and what happened once they did, it might give us more clues," Chuck told him and then looked to Rossi for approval.

"And figure out who got in your van. The time stamp in the surveillance footage puts it right after the meeting at the bullpen. It had to be someone from that meeting," Garcia told them as she used her laptop. "I'm trying to see if anyone from our short list has any computer training."

Rossi stood up. "Alright. So as of right now, we are the only ones who know Hotch and Kahlan didn't die in that house, and it needs to stay that way. We'll focus on the bodies, you focus on the house, and we'll meet back up here at six."

They all stood up and nodded.


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59**

"I don't care what you say. My team is looking for us," Hotch insisted to Damian.

"No. I'm sure what they are doing right now, but I'm sure they are somewhere in between shock and mourning," Damian told him with a grin.

_What?_ Hotch wanted to ask, but he was afraid his voice would betray the fear he was starting to feel.

"See, I didn't take you from that house, Agent Hotchner, you were killed in an explosion," Damian told him with a little chuckle.

Hotch's brows furrowed as he stared at the young man. "Even if there was an explosion, there will be evidence that we weren't in it."

"Actually, a couple well placed bodies and some of your all's effects, and their worst fears were finally realized. I made sure to use an accelerant that wouldn't leave anything except for a lot of small pieces and a lot of ashes."

_No! Please God, no!_ Hotch hung his head. He could tell Damian was telling the truth. _Oh God! What have you done?_

"You should have seen their reactions," Damian started as he laughed. "I actually thought that Agent Rossi had had a heart attack."

Hotch head snapped up and he looked at Damian with hatred. _Oh God, not Dave! I'm so sorry, Dave!_

"But I guess those reactions won't be as bad as those of your children. To think. . ." Damian stood up straighter. "If you would have just died, none of this would be happening."

_Oh my God! No, not the kids! Oh my God!_ A tear escaped the corner of Hotch's eye as he lowered his head to his chest. He suddenly didn't feel like talking anymore.

"With the danger you put them in, they'll be so much better off without you anyway. I do regret that Kay is mixed up in this, though." He shook his head. "She'll get over it, I guess."

_Everyone thinks we're dead and my wife is in the hands of a madman, and it's all my fault._ Hotch wanted to crawl in a hole and die, but he forced his head up again. He still had to find out a few things. "So you were the one that bugged the bullpen?"

Damian laughed. "Yeah. I just wanted to keep an ear on things. You can imagine how surprised I was to realize that Mack had picked up that pen. I couldn't get any luckier."

"And you killed Daniels and everyone at the hall?" Hotch asked weakly.

"Yep. I couldn't take the chance of anyone finding out that Daniels had no idea about all of the things I'd done."

"Where did you get the botulism?"

He smiled. "That was a gift from my father. I actually have several things at my disposal, but I thought botulism was a fitting end as payment for all of the innocent people they'd killed."

"And the people you put in that house?"

"Just the first people I found that matched your height and build."

"So you have also killed innocent people?" Hotch's anger was starting to rise again.

"Again. Your fault. I had to kill them to make this whole thing work. If you'd left your wife out of it, that woman wouldn't have died, and if you had died in that damn garage, that man wouldn't have died. It would have been so much easier if you would have just died the first time they tried to kill you!" His phone vibrated so he took it out of his pocket. "Well, look at that. They've recalled us to the BAU. No doubt to hear about the terrible tragedy that happened last night. They'll probably want to use us to help find the people responsible, or maybe they'll just dismiss us." He told Hotch with a chuckle. "You hang tight. I'll be back," and he stepped back and shut the door.

Hotch's heart sank when he heard the lock engage. _Oh my God, what have I done?_ He sat down on the floor roughly and tears silently made their way down his cheeks.

**XXXXX**

Chuck and Cam walked around the ruin remains of the safe house. The smell from the burnt bodies that had been there was nauseating, and Cam had to keep swallowing down the bile that kept trying to come up in his throat. The COI investigator was with them and he led them to the point of origin. "These are the remains of what we believe is the explosive device. Chemical analysis of the structure says that accelerant used was a jelly like substance that burned extremely hot. Had this house not had all of the fire retardant insulation, it would have burned so hot that all that would have been left was ashes."

Cam and Chuck shared a look. "That's one of the reasons this house was chosen," is all Cam offered to the man. They couldn't tell him that they had an idea of what kind of 'jelly' was used.

There was also something in the bathroom off the bedroom where the deceased were found," he told then as he made his way over to the bathroom. "I'm not sure what it is, but I've never seen anything like it. It had nothing to do with the fire," he paused as he shook his head. "It struck me as odd," he finished as he pointed at a cylindrical, metal object that lodged into the wall.

"Is that where it was, or do you think the explosion moved it?" Chuck asked as he took a closer look at it.

"I believe that it was lodged in between the tub and the wall. There is also some sort of wiring or something running from that same spot to the door. It has nothing to do with the house's electric, so I have no idea what it is, either," he told him as he absently rubbed his chin.

Chuck moved to get a closer look at the wire and then shared another look with Cam. _Son of a bitch!_

"Is there anything else that you would like to show us?" Cam asked him.

"No. I guess that's it. Once everything gets photographed, we'll get everything sent over to Quantico. Maybe your labs will be able to identify exactly what was used. If it's some homemade mixture, I would really love to know its compound," he told them as he led the way out of the skeletal structure.

"Of course. As soon as the techs have anything, we'll get a report sent to you," Cam lied with a smile.

"Thank you for all of your hard work," Chuck told him with a smile as he shook the man's hand.

"Of course. I really hope you find out what happened, agents," he told them and they went to Chuck's Jeep.

As soon as Cam shut his door, Chuck fixed him with a look. "As soon as they are out of there, that place needs to burn like it was supposed to."

Cam looked back the house. "Yep. If Eraser was used, then he or she will know that it didn't do the job it was supposed to and then he or she will also know that we can identify the bodies." He shook his head and took out his phone.

**XXXXX**

"Calm down, Aaron. None of this is your fault," Kahlan told him quietly.

Hotch's head snapped up and found his wife's open eyes looking at him. "Of thank God! Are you alright?" he asked her quickly.

She smiled. "I think so."

He couldn't help it; tears of relief escaped his eyes. "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough," she told him disgustedly.

"How are you bound?"

Kahlan's brows furrowed and he could tell she was trying to feel. "Cuffs."

He smiled. "Good, then get over here and see if I still have my cuff links on." She looked at him questioningly for a moment and then brought her legs up and over her. He watched in awe as she rolled back onto her shoulders as if she was going to do a backflip. Her legs froze in midair, and then she ducked her but back down and she agilely brought her hands around her hips and drew her legs back and effectively moved the cuffs that were behind her in front of her. She grinned at the look on his face. He chuckled. "I love how flexible you are."

She winked. "Yeah, I now," she told him as flicked her brows at him and stood up and went to him. She shook her head as she took in how he was being held. "What the hell is with this family and broom handles?" she asked as she gripped the end of the handle and pulled it out so allow her husband's arms to relax.

"Thank you," he breathed as his shoulders and elbows could finally go back into a normal position. He took a moment to enjoy the loss of pain and pressure. "I tried to brake it."

"Not enough leverage?" He shrugged. "Yeah, I know," she told him dryly.

He winced as he remembered the video and how she had been tied up with a broom handle in Indiana. "Oh yeah, sorry, Babe."

She shook her head at him and then put her cuffed hands behind his neck and hugged him "God, Hun, I am so sorry."

He pressed his head up against her. "No. It's me who should be apologizing. If. . ."

"Shut up, Aaron. Just let me enjoy the moment," she teased.

He chuckled silently against her and took a deep breath. "Do I still have my cufflinks on? I can't move my hands enough to tell." Since he still had his dress shirt on, he hoped that Damian hadn't taken the cufflinks off to help with the charade.

She let him go and went behind him to look. "Yeah, but what good are your cufflinks going to do us?"

"They're the ones you got me for Christmas," he told her as he craned his head around and looked at her. He could tell by her face that she didn't remember. "Is alright, just take one of them off."

She looked at him warily but bent and did as she was instructed. Once she had if off his shirt and in her hand, she grinned. "Nice," is all she said as she looked at it and then memories started to flood her mind.

Hotch watched her face and smiled when he realized she was remembering. There weren't many things that hadn't come back to her since Indiana, but every now and them, they'd run into something else she hadn't remembered.

"I got you a coin, too," she said while still looking at the cufflink.

"While it's great that you're taking a trip down memory lane, Babe, I think you need to hurry."

"Oh yeah, sorry," she told him as she shook her head to snap out of her thoughts and quickly used the handcuff key built into the cufflink and freed herself. She threw the cuffs down and walked back around Hotch.

"Check the door. Maybe you can get out. If you hurry, you might be able to get away before he gets back," Hotch told her quickly.

She smiled as she went to her shoes. "Not without you, Aaron."

"But that link won't get me undone. You need to escape. You need to get to the team," he told her frantically.

She smiled slyly. "Shut up, Aaron," she told him as she reached into the shoe. "What kind of idiot brings his prisoner her own stuff?" she asked as she pulled a thin piece of metal out of it.

"Apparently he's not as smart as he thinks he is." He looked at it and then to her face questioningly. "What the hell is that?"

She grinned mischievously. "This, Hun, is a universal lock pick," she told him as she went back behind him and kneeled down.

He craned his head around and watched her inspect the padlocks that were keeping him chained up; there was one on each wrist. After inspecting the lock she started to bend the metal into the shape. "Do you have one of those in every pair of shoes you own?" he joked.

She looked up at him and smiled again. "Not in my dress shoes."

He laughed. "God, I love you."

Her smile brightened and she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "I love you, more." They locked eyes for a second and then she bent to pick the locks. It took her three minutes to get the first one because she had to keep changing the shape of the metal to get to the tumblers, but she had the next one off in less than thirty seconds.

As soon as his hands were free, he turned around and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him, too, and they clung onto one another's embrace as if they were each other's lifeline. They both sighed as they reveled in the comfort they can only find in each other's arms. After a minute or so, Hotch finally pushed her away. "The door?"

"Right," she told him as she nodded and got up to go inspect the lock on the door.

He got up stiffly and tried to stretch his sore body out. "Has there ever been a lock you can't pick?"

Her shoulders slumped and she turned a worried look to him. "Please don't jinx this."

He winced and then smirked his apology, and she started to twist and bend the piece of metal.


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60**

At six o'clock, the warehouse group was sitting around the table. "Whoever killed Daniels and them is the same person who took Hotch and Kahlan," Chuck told them as he filled a plate from the various Italian platters sitting around the table. Chuck had decided he was tired of fast food and treated everyone to food from his favorite restaurant.

"How can you be so sure," Mack asked as she handed him a beer.

"Because there was container in the bathroom that matches the one from the detaining hall. We figure it was some sort of knock out gas, but I've sent it in to get checked for sure," Cam told them as he sat down next to Garcia. Garcia quickly stood up and filled him a plate and pushed it in front of him with enough force he knew he had better eat or face her wrath. He gave her a smile and picked up a fork.

"And the accelerant for the blast is also from someone who. . ." he looked at Cam to try and find the right word.

Cam shrugged. "Is a spy, if you will."

They all looked back and forth between Cam and Chuck. Rossi fixed Chuck with a look. "Explain."

"It's a jelly mixture sort of like really tame napalm. It burns hot and fast and takes care of most evidence. The house would have been a complete loss except for all of the high end fire retardant insulation. We would have never of had the chance to identify the bodies if it had been a different house."

Rossi looked at him with squinted eyes. "And you know all this how?"

"Because we have used it," Cam told him simply and put a meatball in his mouth.

"We call it 'Eraser' because it erases everything you don't want found," Chuck told him with a smile.

"So we're back to the CIA thing again," Reid started and looked at Mina. "No offense."

Mina smiled. "None taken. Kahlan said she suspected someone with spy connections."

"Then won't whoever did it know it didn't work? Won't they know that we know Hotch and Kahlan were not in the house?" Morgan asked them.

Chuck smiled. "Nah. We used a little from our own stash and burnt it down completely once the fire guys were done with it."

Morgan shook his head at him and then smiled.

"There was also some sort of trigger in the bathroom. I suspect that the gas was rigged to go off as soon as the bathroom door was shut," Cam told them simply.

Several of them shook their heads as they ate. Garcia pulled her laptop closer. "No one on our short list has any kind of official computer training. That doesn't mean they didn't learn about it on their own, but none of them strike me as the techy type."

"So that helps us about as much as identifying the bodies," JJ said as she grabbed a piece of garlic bread.

Chuck and Cam looked at her expectantly. "So you did identify them?" Chuck asked her.

"Yep. James Ramsey disappeared early yesterday morning and Maria Jones went missing on her lunch break," Mack told them.

"After we picked up the bodies here, we transferred them Dale City as if they had just been found so there was no connection to the house," Will started. "The ME was able to determine that both were killed before the explosion."

Cam nodded his understanding as he chewed.

"So how were they killed?" Chuck asked and then shoveled another fork full into his mouth.

"With no discernible physical reasons, she's running tox screens," JJ told him.

"Figure out why them?" Chuck asked as he paused in eating.

"The only connection we've found so far is that they fit the right build for Hotch and Kahlan," Rossi told them.

"Victims of opportunity," Mack injected.

Chuck shook his head. "That's sad. I didn't feel sorry for all of the terrorists who died, but for two innocent people to be used in this elaborate scheme. . ." he shook his head again.

"So no real clues to help identify the killer?" Cam asked as he looked at all of them.

"Not yet," Morgan told him as he filled his plate again.

Chuck put his fork down in disgust. "We're. . ." he started.

"Missing something," Rossi finished for him because he had the same feeling.

**XXXXX **

After several failed attempts and just as many disgusted looks at Hotch, Kahlan finally picked the lock in the door that was holding them captive. As soon as he heard the lock click open, he grabbed her into a strong hug. "I knew you could do it," he told her with a grin.

"I was really getting worried I wouldn't be able to," she confessed sheepishly as she pulled away from him and quickly put her shoes on.

"Come on," Hotch started as he pulled the door open slowly. With a quick look through the doorway, he pulled her out of the room and into a house. They both looked around cautiously.

"Should we search the house?" Kahlan asked him. She wanted to, but she also wanted to get him the hell away from there before Damian came back.

"Yeah. We need to see if we can find a weapon or something," he told her as he let go of her hand and looked around. "You take that way and I'll go this way," he suggested as he pointed down the hallway they had found themselves in.

"Ok, but hurry," she told him and silently made her way to the right. The hallway opened into a family room and kitchen. She quickly went and searched the drawers in the kitchen. She smiled when she opened one that contained several knives. She selected two and put one in her pocket as she thanked God, she hadn't been able to change into her pajamas before the gas got her. _At least I have my shoes_, she thought with a smile. She couldn't stand to go barefooted even in her own house. She either had her shoes or her slippers on unless she was in bed. She shook her head as she thought of Hotch having to walk from wherever they were.

She moved to look out the family room window, hoping she see a vehicle in the driveway or something. Her heart sank when she realized they were in the middle of a forest. _Son of a bitch!_ Not having any idea where they were, she had no idea how long it would take them to find civilization and a way to get back home. She went back and searched the kitchen more thoroughly hoping she'd find some sort of phone or something.

"Kahlan. I'm sorry," came Hotch's voice from behind her.

"What do you have to be sor. . ." she started to ask as she turned around. Her breath hitched in her chest and anger burned within every fiber of her being when she saw Damian standing behind Hotch. Her left hand balled into a fist and her right hand gripped the knife in her hand more firmly. She noticed Damian had his left hand on Hotch's left shoulder and had his right hand was holding a syringe that stuck into the right side of Hotch's neck, so she froze.

"I knew you were faking," Damian told her with a smile.

"Yeah? How did you know that?" Kahlan asked him as she fingered the knife. She silently wondered if she'd be able to hit him to do enough damage with the way he was using her husband as a shield.

"I saw a ghost of a wince cross your face when I mentioned the kids hearing about you two dying in that house."

Kahlan locked eyes with Hotch for a second as she slid the knife down to her fingertips.

"I don't think so," Damian told her as he moved Hotch into the kitchen more. "Put it down," he told her as he glanced at the knife in her hand.

"Just kill this son of a bit. . ." Hotch started but his stated was choked off as Damian reached around and grabbed his windpipe to shut him up.

"No one said you could speak," he told Hotch in his ear, and then looked back to Kahlan. "Even the grip of death, I'll still push this plunger down."

Kahlan could see an orange tinted liquid in the shot, but she had no idea what it was; and it scared the shit out of her. "Alright!" she yelled as held up her hands in submission.

"Slowly put the knife down by your right foot," Damian told her and she did. "Now kick it away to your right." She did that, too, and stood there looking him, and he finally let go of Hotch's throat.

Hotch took a shuddering breath and swallowed hard. He locked eyes with Kahlan again, and his eyes pleaded with her to forgive him.

Kahlan broke eye contact with him and looked back at Damian. "What do you want?"

Damian smiled at her. "It's simple. I want you."

Kahlan saw Hotch tense and she worried that he would sacrifice himself for her so she quickly nodded. "Ok. How about you let him go, and I promise to leave this cabin with you quietly."

_No, Babe! _Hotch stared at her._ Wait. She said this cabin_, and he smiled mentally but he didn't like the fact that she wouldn't look at him.

"Let him go? Yeah right," Damian laughed. "So he can just try to follow us. I don't think so."

Kahlan's eyes darted around as she thought. "Fine. Lock him back in that room. He couldn't get out. I picked the lock."

Damian huffed as he looked at Hotch with disgust then back to Kahlan. "And you'll go with me without causing any problems or trying to escape?"

Kahlan bite her lip as she sighed. "Yes. I promise to leave this cabin with you."

Damian studied her and then smiled. "Alright."

"You have to let me tell him goodbye, though," Kahlan quickly added.

Damian considered it, and nodded as he agreed. He moved Hotch back into the hallway. "After you," he told Kahlan.

She took a deep breath and walked past him back to the room they had woken up in. Damian forced Hotch down the hall and into the room behind Kahlan. He let go of Hotch's arm, pulled a pistol out from behind his back, and finally pulled the needle out of Hotch's neck. Hotch immediately turned on him. "I wouldn't," Damian told him as he held the pistol up in Kahlan's direction, and Hotch froze. Damian knew Hotch would gladly sacrifice himself, but he also knew Hotch wouldn't do anything to endanger his wife. Hotch stood there staring at him as his nostrils flared with anger.

"Don't, Aaron," Kahlan told him quickly a she went up and put a hand on his shoulder.

Damian smiled and stepped back out of the room. "I'll be out here. Don't take too long," he told her as he disappeared down the hall with a grin.


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61**

"Babe, I am so sorry. I didn't even realize he was in there. . ." Hotch started as he turned to Kahlan.

"Don't, Hun. It's my fault. I'm sorry. I should have controlled myself better, and he wouldn't have known I was awake," she told him as she put a hand on his chin and turned it so she could inspect his neck where Damian had stuck the needle. "Are you ok?"

He pushed her hand away and made her look at him. "I'm fine. You can't go with him," he insisted quietly. When she opened her mouth to argue, he put a finger over her lips to stop her. "I'll distract him and you can get him."

She shook her head. "He's a crack shot, Aaron. I will not risk you!" she argued quietly.

"But you'll risk yourself? No, Kahlan! I won't let you do it!"

"If something were to happen to you, I'd never be able to live with myself!" she told him defiantly.

"And I won't be able to live with myself, if you give yourself up to him to save me."

"Aaron. . ."

"I can't. Not again!" Hotch told her as his eyes watered.

"I'll be fine. It's you he wants to kill, not me."

"But. . ."

"No buts, Aaron. He will kill you the first chance he gets. If I leave with him, then you are safe!"

"I don't want to be safe! I want to be with you. We can take him!"

"I won't take that chance. He won't kill me. I'll get away from him the first chance I get. . ."

"You don't know what he wants. . ."

"Come on, Aaron. What does the profiler in you tell you? Do you honestly think he wants to kill me?"

Hotch pursed his lips as he look to where Damian went down the hall as if he could still see him. He shook his head as he looked back at her. "No, but I can just imagine what he does want to do to you."

"Hun. . ." she started as she put her hand on his chest. "I can do this, but I need to know you are safe. If something were to happen to you because of me, I'd never be able to look the kids in the face again," she told him as her eyes watered.

He cut his eyes to the side for a moment and then slowly looked her in the eyes. "Kahlan, you promised you'd never run off without me again."

She moved her hand up to the side of his face. "You said yourself that that would have gone a lot differently if I had had backup." His brows furrowed as he looked at her. She smiled and took her hand away from his face and put her hands together in front of her.

Damian stepped back into the doorway. "It doesn't take forever to kiss goodbye," he told them sarcastically.

Kahlan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and then looked back at her husband. She reached out and took his hands in hers. "Understand?"

Hotch felt something small go into his hands as he held hers. "I think so."

She reached up and put her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. "They'll come to you, and then you'll come to me," she whispered into his ear.

He wrapped his arms around her and held onto her tightly. "You first," he whispered back.

"No. I'm not the one who will be locked in a room," she told him and then pushed away from him so he couldn't argue anymore.

His eyes conveyed his love and all the fear he was feeling for her.

"Come on. We're burning daylight," Damian told her.

She shot him a dirty look and looked back at the man she loved more than life itself. They locked eyes for a few seconds and she leaned in and gave him a kiss. As their lips met, he leaned down deepened the kiss. After a couple moments she pulled away and they locked eyes again. His were pleading her not to go, and hers were pleading him to trust her. She swallowed hard and took a step back.

He licked his lips. "I'd tell you I love you, but I don't want to lie to you," he told her softly as his eyes watered again.

She smiled sadly as her bottom lip started to tremble and a tear escaped the corner of her eye.

"Understand?" he asked.

She nodded and took a shuddering breath.

"Damn Hotchner, that's cruel," Damian told him with a look of hate.

Hotch stood up, squared his shoulders, and fixed him with his stare. "You wouldn't understand," he told him through clenched teeth.

"Whatever," Damian started and then looked at Kahlan. "Let's go," he told her impatiently as he waved the gun towards the front door.

She shut her eyes as she ground her teeth. Without looking at Hotch again, she turned and went into the hallway.

Trying to keep an eye on them both, Damian quickly shut the door and locked it.

Hotch went to the door as tears trailed down his cheeks. _Please be careful, Babe. _He put his left hand on it as his right balled into a fist. _If you hurt her, Damian, I will kill you! I will hunt you down and there won't be anyplace safe for you! _

"After you," Damian told Kahlan with a smile.

She studied him a moment and then walked to the door. _I won't kill you, Damian. I'll let Aaron have you, and I almost feel sorry for you when he gets his hands on you._

Hotch pounded his fist against the door. _I will rip you apart with my bare hands if you hurt her!_

**XXXXX**

"Whose phone is this?" Mina asked as she dug a phone out from underneath a pile of napkins.

Everyone looked at her and the phone. "Oh, that's mine. Why?" Cam asked as he held his hand out for it.

"It vibrated, well sort of. It made a weird sound," Mina told him as she put it in his hand.

Cam brought the screen to life as he was taking a drink. He choked on his wine as he took in the screen. Garcia reached over and patted him on the back as he coughed and sputtered. "You ok, Puddin?"

He nodded as he still coughed and stood up. Everyone stared at him. "It's her!" he finally got out.

Chuck stood up quickly. "Kay?" he asked urgently.

Rossi jumped up just as quickly. "Oh, thank God!"

"She text you or something?" Morgan asked him as everyone else threw down napkins and forks, all thoughts of eating gone with the joy of actually having contact with the Hotchners.

Cam wiped his mouth and messed with his phone. "No. She's activated her emergency beacon."

"Emergency beacon?" Reid asked with a puzzled look.

Cam pulled Garcia's laptop over to him and started typing so quickly that no one could keep track of his fingers.

"You can tell where they are?" Rossi asked desperately as he prayed that Hotch and Kahlan were together.

"Yes. Hold on. It's coming up," Cam told him as he focused on the screen. Everyone quickly gathered in behind him to see.

**XXXXX**

Damian opened the door for Kahlan and let her step out onto the porch first. She looked around quickly and her thoughts went to the knife in her pocket. _Dumb ass hasn't even checked my pockets. I wonder if I could kill him before he shot me?_ She glanced back at him. _No, behave, until you know Aaron's safe!_ _I have to get him away from here first. _

He shut the door behind him and locked it. "My truck is just over that ridge," he told her with a smile as he pointed off to the right.

She bit her tongue to stop herself from being a smart ass. "Then, let's go," she told him and started for the steps.

"Hold on a second," Damian started as he took something out of his pocket.

"What?" Kahlan asked as she turned back to look at him.

As soon as she was turned to him completely, he blew a powder into her face.

She stumbled back as she wiped her face quickly. She sneezed and coughed as she inhaled the fine particles. "Oh my God! Was that Bowman's powder?" she asked as anxiety made her heart and breathing quicken. _ Shit! Maybe he doesn't want me alive!_ She started feeling a burning in the back of her throat and in her eyes.

"No! It won't hurt you like that," he assured her as he put a hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him with horror. "I don't think I could survive another bout with that," she told him weakly as she pulled away from him and ended up falling down the steps to the ground. Her breathing became labored as fear gripped her chest in a vice to the point where she almost couldn't breathe.

Damian ran down to the steps and knelt down beside her. "Calm down, Kay. It's not going to hurt you," he told her tenderly as he grabbed her hand.

She drew her brows down as she squinted her eyes and looked at him. Then she opened her eyes as far they would go and looked around as if she had no idea where she was.

"Calm down, Kay," he told her again more sternly.

She nodded slowly as her breathing evened out. "Ok."

Damian stood up as he smiled. He reached out a hand to her. "Take my hand."

She blinked hard a couple times and then reached up and took his hand and let him pulled her up.

"Walk with me," he told her as still held her left hand with his right.

"Ok," she told him and walked into the woods with him.

Back in the locked room, Hotch sank to his knees as his heart skipped a beat. He knew something was horribly wrong already, and it scared the shit out of him. _Oh my God, Babe. NO!_

**XXXX**

"Where in the hell are they?" Rossi asked as the map on the screen zeroed in on West Virginia.

"Looks like they're in the mountains south of Richwood. I don't see any roads real close, though," Cam started.

"Are you saying they hiked up there?" Will asked him.

"I don't know how they got there, all I know is that's where they are," Cam told him as he picked his phone back up.

"Let's go!" Chuck insisted as he grabbed his bag and started for the door.

"Just wait," Rossi started and Chuck stopped and turned to him impatiently.

"Not all of us need to go. Some of us need to stay and see if we can figure out who is behind this," Reid suggested.

"Fine. Me and Cam can go to them. You all stay and figure stuff out," Chuck told them.

"You all want the NSA team to help?" Mack asked as she unsuccessfully tried to hide a smile as she took out her phone hopefully.

"We've already told Sai that they could go home. He's probably told them all by now," Mina told her knowing full well that Mack was hoping to see Sam again.

"Sam's still here," Mack pointed out.

"Fine, tell him to meet us. We might need his size," Cam told her as he put his phone in its holster and grabbed his bag.

"I'm going, too," Rossi told them.

"Me, too," Mack told them moving next to Rossi.

Chuck shook his head at them. "Whatever. We'll discuss details on the ride there," Chuck said moving to the door.

"It looks to be about a five hour trip. We'll contact you all on the way," Cam told Garcia as he gave her a hug.

"Bring back my liege and my Double-O," she told him and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

He smiled at her and then looked at Morgan. "Figure out who is behind it all. There's a chance whoever it is, won't be there."

Morgan patted his shoulder. "We're on it," he assured him.

With one more look at everyone as Cam and Mack followed Chuck out the door, Rossi gave them a hopeful smile. Morgan and JJ nodded their understanding of what wasn't said, and Rossi left praying the whole time that they would find Hotch and Kahlan unharmed.


	62. Chapter 62

*It's that time of year! Time to nominate your favorite fanfiction! Go to: www. fanfiction topic/ 141001/ 96466893/ 1/Profiler-Choice-Awards- 2013 (take out the spaces) to cast your ballot! There are many categories to choose from.

**Chapter 62**

Rossi stopped at the Bureau SUV on his way to Chuck's Jeep. Chuck looked at him impatiently. Rossi smiled. "What? You all said that they were in the bathroom when they got gassed. God only knows if they're still dressed or not," he told him as he grabbed Hotch's go-bag out of the back.

"True," Cameron said as he opened the front passenger door to the Jeep. "It's ashamed we don't have a bag for Kay."

Chuck smiled. "It's in the back; she put it in there when she changed for the show at the bullpen."

"Nice," Mack said as she and Rossi climbed into the back seat and Chuck got in to drive.

XXX

Sam met them on the outskirts of Quantico and Mack got in his car with him. Four hours later, they stopped at the end of the last road they could find that got them as close to the beacon's signal as possible. Chuck ran a hand through his hair as he looked at the people around him and then at the terrain they were faced with trekking through to get to his best friend. "I say you and Mack wait with the car," he suggested to Rossi. "We can take the Jeep further down with that fire road, but God knows how far before it runs out. Then we'll have to hump it in the rest of the way."

Rossi looked at the steep incline of the hill next to them and took a deep breath. He really wanted to be one of the people to find Hotch, but he also knew that he and Mack would slow them down when it came time to get out and hike. Without knowing who was behind the abductions, they had no idea what was happening to the Hotchners, and it scared him. He looked at Cameron and Sam and then back to the hillside. "Alright," he finally said.

"We'll keep in touch with you, and you can keep in touch with Morgan and them," Chuck told him as he handed Rossi a hand held radio.

Cam squeezed Rossi's shoulder. "We'll get them and bring them back down here."

Rossi nodded. "If whoever is responsible is up there. . ."

"He or she will pay for making us think they were dead," Chuck vowed seriously.

"We're probably going to even lose radio coverage up there. Don't be alarmed if you call and we don't answer," Cam told them.

"Will you still be able to track them without coverage," Rossi asked quickly. He didn't want to have to think about them getting close and them losing the signal when it really mattered.

"Yes. It will follow that signal on the ground; it doesn't matter if there'll be cell coverage or not," Cam assured him. Rossi nodded and the relief was obvious on his face.

"What? No sat links?" Sam asked with a grin.

"No. I didn't think to grab them. I was in too much of a hurry to get to Kay," Cam confessed with a little embarrassment.

"No worries. We got this," Chuck told him with a smile.

"How long do you think it will take?" Mack asked them as Sam stuffed Hotch's and Kahlan's bags into a duffle bag and put it in the back seat of the Jeep. Then he grabbed a gun out of his trunk. Mack had no idea what type of gun it was for sure, but it was huge. He put it in the back of the Jeep easily.

"Hard to say, but I would think we'll reach them before we lose light," Chuck told her as he got his pack ready.

"Good luck," Rossi told them and patted Chuck on the shoulder.

Sam shot Mack a quick smile and climbed into the back seat.

Chuck nodded and got back in the Jeep while Cam climbed in. He shifted the Jeep into four-wheel drive and slowly went up the hill and out of sight.

XXX

After about forty five minutes, they had to abandon the Jeep and go into the forest on foot. After about an hour they lost radio contact with Rossi, but after another hour of rough terrain Chuck, Cam, and Sam all laid down on the top of a ridge overlooking a cabin. "They have to be in there," Cam said quietly as he looked at his phone and the blip that marked where the beacon was.

"With no vehicle being here, whoever brought them here may not be in there," Chuck mused as he looked at the trail that a vehicle could use to approach the cabin, and he mentally cussed because he then knew there was another way up the mountain. He wished he had his Jeep closer and silently prayed that Kay and Hotch were unharmed.

"There could be more than one. Someone might be guarding the place," Sam suggested.

Chuck nodded as he looked back at the cabin. "You stay out here and cover us," Chuck told him as he stood up and slung his Austrian Steyr AUG A3 submachine gun on his shoulder and took out his pistol.

Cam also slung his smaller Belgium FN P90TR submachine gun on his shoulder and took out his pistol.

Sam rested his German MG 3 machine gun on a log lying in front of him so he could take out anything within the front of the cabin.

Chuck took a step towards the cabin and then turned back to Sam. "Don't shot us coming out either," he joked with a big smile.

"Wouldn't think of it," Sam told him with his own smile.

"Come on," Cam told Chuck and they ran in a half crouch to the cabin.

Looking into the windows revealed the cabin to be empty, and Chuck's heart sank as he started to think that the beacon had been left as a decoy. "Let's go in," he whispered to Cam, and Cam nodded. They made their way to the porch silently. Not wanting to take the time to pick the lock, Chuck used one swift kick and the door flew open. They entered the house with guns held at the ready. Cam went towards the kitchen and Chuck went further into the house. "Kay? Hotch?" Chuck finally yelled. He didn't care if anyone was there, he couldn't stand the silence any longer.

His heart leaped with joy when he heard a pounding down the hall. Cam quickly joined him and they both looked at the heavy door in the center of the hall. Chuck sighed heavily as he put his pistol away and took out a lock pick set and squatted down to work the lock.

"Hang on," Cam yelled to the Hotchners.

The intricate lock wasn't a match for Chuck's multiple pick set, and he had the door open within minutes. He pushed the door open with a big smile, but the smile quickly left him as he saw that Hotch was the only person locked in the room. "Where's Kay?" he asked weakly.

Hotch looked at the two men and licked his lips. "Gone," he told him as he advanced on Cam. "She said you'd know what to do with this to find her," he told him quickly as he handed the ring Kahlan had given him to Cameron.

Cam looked at it. "Yeah. As soon as I deactivate it the next one will start transmitting," Cam told him as he took out his phone and headed to the door.

Chuck looked at Hotch's bare feet. "We got your bag," he told him and then lead the way out of the house.

Hotch looked around once he was outside. "Where in the hell are we?"

Sam came running down the little hill to them once he realized they were alone. Hotch took one look at him, pulled Chuck's pistol out of the holster at Chuck's side, and turned it on Sam.

"Whoa!" Sam yelled as he slid to a stop and ended up going to his knees.

"What the hell, Hotch?" Chuck asked him as soon as he realized what was going on.

"What is he doing here?" Hotch asked Chuck but his eyes never left the young man on the ground.

"He came with us. What's wrong with you?" Cam asked him as he looked between Hotch and Sam. He was starting to think that Hotch had lost it.

"He could be working with Damian," Hotch told them as he cocked the pistol.

"Ahhh. Yeah, that's kind of his job," Chuck told him slowly took a step closer to Hotch. He wondered if he could get the gun away from Hotch before Sam could get hurt.

"No. It's Damian!" Hotch told him as his anger started to overflow with actually having something to aim it at.

"What's Damian?" Cam asked him as he took a step closer trying to get within arm's reach of Hotch. He'd try to stop him if it came to it.

"Damian's the one behind the hit. He's the one who took Kahlan!" Hotch screamed with frustration.

"What?!" all three men yelled at the same time.

Hotch finally looked at Chuck and Cam. "It's Damian!" he insisted, but he never took the pistol off Sam.

Cam studied Hotch. "Alright. We believe you, but that doesn't mean that Sam's in on it," he tried reasoning with him.

"It's really that little fucker?" Chuck asked as he studied Sam.

"Yes. He's behind it all," Hotch told him and he could tell Chuck was just as pissed as he was.

Chuck ran a hand through his hair as he looked at Sam trying to figure out if Sam was indeed working with Damian.

"Then, you know what? Kill him. At least we won't have to worry about where his loyalties are," Cam told him flatly.

"What?!" Sam yelled. "Agent Hotchner, I swear I have no idea what you're talking about!" Sam pleaded.

Hotch's nostrils flared as he looked at the young man. He thought he was telling the truth, but he wasn't sure if he could read the man well enough to be sure. He looked at Chuck. He also knew, though, that he could never shoot the man in cold blood without proof of his guilt. He wasn't even sure he could do it then. "You trust him?"

Chuck appraised the muscular man.

"Chuck, man, come on," Sam begged.

Chuck looked at Cam and Cam shrugged. "You've spent the most time with him," Cam told him dryly.

Chuck ran a hand through his hair and looked at Hotch. "Yeah, I guess."

Sam almost collapsed in relief.

"You bet Kahlan's life on it?" Hotch asked him seriously.

Chuck looked at him and then back to Sam. Sam looked at him with pleading eyes. Chuck swallowed hard and licked his lips; finally he looked back at Hotch. "Yes."

Hotch nodded and put the hammer back on the pistol. He turned to Chuck. "You better be right about this," he told him and went to Cam.

Chuck put out a hand and helped Sam to his feet. "Thanks man," Sam told him with a smile. Chuck nodded and then joined Cam.

"Where is she?" Hotch asked Cam as he looked at the phone in Cam's hand.

Sam pulled off his pack and pulled Hotch's bag out. "Here's your bag, Agent Hotchner," Sam told him as he held it out tentatively.

"It'll take a few minutes. Go get changed. We've got a hike back out of here," Cam told him.

Hotch looked at Sam and then took his bag. "Thank you," Hotch told him and started back into the house.

After about five minutes, he emerged in fresh clothes and actually wearing socks and shoes. He thanked God that he always kept his running shoes in his go bag in case he actually was able to get a run in on a case because he didn't want to have to think about tramping through the woods in dress shoes. He started for Cam but Chuck stopped him by holding out a canteen and a protein bar. "I figured you haven't eaten since last night," Chuck told him with a grin.

"Thanks," Hotch told him as he took the offered items and headed to Cam.

"You need to eat that," Chuck insisted as he joined the two men.

Hotch just looked at him and then looked at Cam's phone. "So?"

Cam looked up at him and then back down at the phone. "I don't know what it means, but it's stopped about five klicks to the east," Cam started as he looked in that direction. "I don't see any roads out there, though. It's like it's just sitting out there in the middle of nowhere," he confessed and his confusion was clear in his tone as he looked back at Hotch.

Hotch's chest tightened. "Could he have found out about it and did something with it?"

Cam shook his head. "He can't alter the signal or anything. The only thing he could actually do is break it to stop it from transmitting."

"He could have thrown it out if he found it," Sam suggested, but he quickly regretted speaking by the look Hotch gave him.

"It doesn't matter. We have to go to it to be sure," Chuck insisted.

Hotch nodded as he looked to the east. "Exactly how far is a klick?" he asked Chuck. He knew it was a military term for distance, but he had no idea how it measured up against normal measurements.

"It's roughly .62 miles, so we're looking at just over three miles," Cam told him as he unslung his rifle and prepared to start the hike.

"Do you want to wait here?" Chuck asked Hotch. "We can go and come back to you once. . ."

"Really, Charles?" Hotch asked him as he started for the woods.

Chuck smiled. He knew what Hotch would say, but he had to ask. "Wait up," he told him and ran to catch up with him.


	63. Chapter 63

* The site screwed up the correct webpage for the Profilers Choice awards in the previous chapter, so it you go to the sight and search 'forum' for 'Profilers Choice' – it should get you there.

**Chapter 63**

As Hotch, Chuck, Cam, and Sam made their way through the woods, Hotch told them about everything that Damian had said to him. Hotch couldn't tell which one of them was the maddest, though. They were all pissed that Damian had turned on them, and then when he explained that Damian claimed to be Mordecai's son, Chuck actually stumbled.

"I knew I didn't like him!" he told them vehemently.

Sam looked at Chuck questioningly; he had no idea who Mordecai was, but Chuck's look told him not to ask.

Hotch snorted. "Yeah, I just thought it was jealousy over Kahlan. I should have listened to that little voice that told me not to trust him."

"How the hell didn't Clapper catch that?" Chuck asked Cam.

"Mordecai was erased from everything. When Damian was recruited they probably had no clue who Mordecai was." Cam told him with a knowing look.

"You mean to tell me they don't do a thorough background check on whoever they recruit?" Hotch asked them as he ducked under a branch and shot a look to Sam.

"Apparently not as good as you would think," Chuck told him with a smirk.

"But if Mordecai wanted all ties to Damian to be severed, he probably knew enough people to get rid of any trace," Cam pointed out.

"Think we'll get to a place where we can actually get ahold of Dave?" Hotch asked as he unscrewed the canteen and took a drink. Chuck and Cam had told him about the explosion and everything they had went through since then, too. Hotch couldn't believe that Damian had almost gotten away with it. He was sure that the warehouse group would have eventually found them since they knew for sure they hadn't died in the house, but he didn't really want to consider how long it would have taken. He silently thanked God that Kahlan had the ring that alerted them to their location.

"Hard to say," Cam started as he took out his phone to study the terrain. "Hello," he exclaimed as he stopped. They all stopped and looked at him. Hotch's breath hitched in his chest. He really didn't want any more bad news. "It's moving again."

"Which direction?" Chuck asked as he scanned the woods in front of him.

"Towards us basically," Cam told him as he studied the screen. "As slow as it's moving, I'd say they're walking."

Hotch took a deep breath. He couldn't wait to get his hands on Damian. He looked at Sam. "Does Damian know that weird shit Kahlan and Sai do?"

"Weird shit?" Sam asked not knowing what Hotch was talking about.

"The nerve attacks," Chuck clarified.

"Oh, no," Sam told him and then chuckled. "He's really good with guns and he's smart, but that's about it."

Hotch nodded as he considered it.

Sam laughed some more. "In fact, he's our weakest member when it comes to hand to hand."

"I can't believe Kay hasn't killed him yet," Cam mused as he started out again.

Hotch bit his lip. He hadn't told them about his bad feeling at the cabin, but he wondered the same thing.

"She's had to have gotten away from him, though, right? Why else would she be headed back toward the cabin?" Sam asked them. "If Damian wants her, he'd take her far away, not take her back to the cabin."

They all looked at him. "Well, wouldn't he?" Sam asked them. The squad had kidnapped a few people, and he knew that going back to the scene was not part of the protocols.

"That's got to be it," Chuck agreed with a smile. "You watch. We'll top some ridge and she'll be there with a grin on her face," he told them as he quickened his pace.

Hotch matched his pace, but he couldn't get the nagging feeling out of his gut to bring himself to be as optimistic as Chuck. He looked at Cam. "Is there anyway Damian could have found the beacon?"

Cam pursed his lips as he considered it. "There are a few ways to detect the signal."

Hotch shook his head. "So this could be a trap."

Chuck stopped and looked at them both; his smile gone. "Don't say that," he told them as his shoulders slumped and they could all hear the defeat in his tone.

"Well, if he was tech savvy enough to sabotage my van, then he might have the equipment to scan for a transmitter," Cam told him truthfully.

Hotch rubbed the back of his neck and then looked at Sam. "You know him the best. What's your opinion?" Sam swallowed hard and then looked at Chuck. Hotch could tell he didn't want to answer him. "Just tell me the truth," Hotch added with an edge in his voice.

"He pretty much has a one track mind. If his goal was to kill you, I can't see him backing out of that even with Kay getting him to leave the cabin," Sam told him and then looked at the ground.

Hotch looked at Cameron. "How far out is the signal?"

Cam looked at his phone. "A little over one klick; three quarters of a mile," he corrected for Hotch.

Hotch eyes darted around as he considered everything.

"What are you thinking," Chuck asked him.

"If there's going to be a trap, I'd prefer it to be us who sets it," Hotch told him seriously.

Chuck smiled. "My kind of thinking," he started and then looked around. "Let's get over this ridge and see what kind of terrain we have to deal with."

Hotch nodded and they all set out again.

XXX

The guys found a perfect place on a ridge to keep an eye on the valley below. Chuck and Sam insisted that the game trail going through the valley would be the easiest walking, and they surmised that Kahlan would use it to try and make good time. According to the beacon, she was on her way, so all they had to do was wait. They sent Cam and Sam to the other side to keep cover, and Chuck and Hotch kept watch on their side. Hotch's concern grew with each passing moment as his imagination was starting to make him think all kinds of dark thoughts. _She's fine! You would know if she was hurt!_ He sighed deeply. _Then what happened at the cabin? If that son of a bitch has done anything to you. . ._

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the rustling of leaves further down the valley. He held his breath as his eyes searched for movement. The wind had picked up slightly so all of the moving branches made it hard to discern exactly where the sound came from. _At least it's not raining._

"There," Chuck whispered as he pointed to the far end of the valley.

Hotch looked to where he was pointing and his breath hitched in his chest. There was Kahlan. She was walking a little unsteadily and she kept looking behind her. "Something's wrong," Hotch told him as he started to get up.

Chuck grabbed his shoulder and held him down. "Just wait. Remember this could be a trap to draw you out."

"Why would he think it was me? He had me locked in that damn room."

"Maybe he didn't believe that you couldn't pick the lock," Chuck told him as they watched Kahlan stumble over a tree root. "My God, is she hurt?" Chuck asked him and Hotch could hear the fear in his voice.

Hotch took the binoculars out of Chuck's bag and studied his wife. "I don't see any obvious signs of trauma." Hotch then scanned the rest of the valley and corresponding hill sides. "I don't see Damian. She looks to be alone."

Chuck grabbed the binoculars and took another look around. Without seeing anyone else, he focused on Kahlan. His face scrunched up as he studied her face. "Something is definitely wrong with her. You can see it in her eyes," he told Hotch as he handed him the binoculars.

Hotch took them and looked at his wife again. Kahlan's eyes were red and a little puffy and she kept squeezing them shut. "Yeah," Hotch told him. "I'm going to her," he dropped the binoculars and stood up.

"Ok. Be slow and be careful. Make sure you don't sneak up on her either," Chuck started as he got up, too.

Hotch chuckled softly. "Not that I even could."

They made their way quietly down the hill side to put themselves in front of her. Once Chuck was close enough, he whistled. Kahlan froze and then looked around.

"Really, a whippoorwill?" Hotch asked Chuck in a whisper.

"Perfect signal for the day. Have you ever heard one except at night?" Chuck asked him matter-of-factly. Hotch shook his head and made his way closer to Kahlan. "At least she should know there are friends approaching and not enemies. I'd hate to see her try to kill you as soon as you got close enough," he joked quietly. Hotch froze and looked at him. "What?" Chuck asked once he saw his face. "I was joking," he quickly added.

"What if. . ." Hotch started as he ran a hand through his hair. He shook his head.

Chuck pulled him back into the bushes. "What?" he asked desperately not liking how Hotch was acting.

"What was Mordecai's goal?" Hotch asked him as he looked towards where Kahlan was walking.

The color drained from Chuck's face. "No," he said as he shook his head. "He was only able to do that because he had her so long. Damian couldn't have. . ."

"No?" Hotch asked him with a look that told him he wasn't so sure.

Chuck ran a hand down his face as he considered it. "There are ways I guess. . ." he bit his lip as he looked at Hotch. "Maybe you should stay here. Let me go to her first."

Hotch licked his lips as he considered it. "She doesn't have a weapon."

"That we can see, but she herself is a weapon. I think we better be safe than sorry," Chuck told him and they both looked toward a snapped twig. "She's definitely not herself because she would not have stepped on that. Something is wrong with her," Chuck insisted.

Hotch took a deep breath and nodded. "Go. Make sure. . ."

"I will," he told him as he squeezed his shoulder and went out of the bushes without a sound.

Hotch watched as Chuck made his way onto the game trail in front of Kahlan, and Hotch couldn't tell what Kahlan's reaction was to seeing her best friend suddenly standing in front of her; it was either fear or surprise on her face.

"Chuck?" Kahlan asked as she stopped in her tracks.

"Yeah, Kay, it's me," Chuck told her tentatively as he watched her back up a step. "Are you ok?" he asked without advancing on her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him as she looked around.

"We traced the beacon. We came to find you." Chuck didn't like the confusion in her voice or on her face.

"We?" she asked as she took another step back.

"Kay, it's me, Chuck. Your best friend," he told her as he took a step forward. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" she asked him as took another step back.

Hotch couldn't handle it anymore. He wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but he definitely didn't sense anything dangerous about her. He got up and quickly joined Chuck. "Kahlan, what happened to Damian?"

She shook her head as she looked at him. "Aaron?"

His chest tightened at the confused look on her face. He walked to her slowly. "Yeah, Babe, it's me," he told her as he reached out and put his hands on her waist.

She looked up at his face. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to find you. Where's Damian?'

She looked at Chuck and then back to Hotch. "Damian?"

Hotch's heart sank. "What's wrong, Babe. What did he do to you?"

She shook her head and then rubbed her eyes. "I don't know," she told him weakly.

"Where's Damian, Kay?" Chuck asked her a little more forcibly. She looked behind her as she bit her lip. "Is he dead?" he asked hopefully.

"Dead?" She pulled away from Hotch. "I should do that, huh?" she asked and then started back down the trail.

Hotch and Chuck shared a quick look. "Whoa, Babe," Hotch told her as he quickly caught up with her and grabbed her arm. "Just wait a minute."

"Ok," she told him and just stood there looking at him.

Chuck gave her a weird look and looked at Hotch. "Did she just obey you?"

"What? No," Hotch told him as he shook his head. "She would never. . ." he started but looked back at Kahlan.

"Kay," Chuck started and she looked at him. "Sit down." She did. "Oh my God! What did he do to her?!" Chuck yelled as he watched her looking at him.

"Just stop," Hotch told him but his own anxiety was starting to rise. "Get up, Babe," Hotch told her as he reached down and grabbed her hand.

"Ok," she told him and stood up.

"Did you hit your head?" Chuck asked her as he grabbed her head and bent it down and inspected it.

"My head?" she asked as he ran his fingers through her hair looking for any wounds.

"Would you just chill for five minutes!" Hotch yelled and Chuck finally let her go.

"Ok," Kahlan told him.

Chuck looked at her and then laughed.

"What?" Hotch asked him.

"She thought you were talking to her," Chuck started as he laughed again. "She looked at her watch." He snorted through his nose. "She was going to time it," he finished as he tried unsuccessfully to hold back more laughter.

Hotch took a deep breath. "Not you, Kahlan. I was talking to that idiot," Hotch told her as he put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her closely.

"Ok," she told him plainly as she looked him in the eyes.

Cam and Sam finally came down the hill to join them after making sure Damian wasn't following Kahlan. "What's going on?" Cam asked quickly as he took in the three people; Chuck was still laughing.

"Something's wrong with Kay. She's obeying orders," Chuck told him. Cam's look of confusion made Chuck laughed a little more. "Watch," he told him and then looked at Kahlan. "Sit down, Kay"

She slipped out of Hotch hands and sat down on the ground.

Cam and Sam both looked shocked.

"If you don't cut it out, I'll shoot you!" Hotch told him angrily.

Kahlan stood up, pulled the pistol out of the holster at Hotch's side, and pointed it at Chuck in one fluid movement. "Shoot him?" she asked as she looked at Hotch.

Chuck choked on his laughter and quickly held his hands up. "No! That's not what he said," he pleaded with her. He shot a pleading look to Hotch.

Hotch couldn't believe she had gotten his pistol so easily and was shocked that she had it aimed at her best friend. "That's not what I meant," he told her quickly. She squinted her eyes at him. He licked his lips, took a deep breath, and held his hand out. "Give me the gun, Kahlan," he told her.

"Ok," she told him and handed it to him, and Chuck and Cam both released the breaths they were holding.

"You think you might shut up now?" Hotch asked Chuck. Chuck nodded without saying a word.

"Alright, what the hell is going on?" Cam asked them.

"I don't know, I was trying to figure it out except smart ass here thinks it's funny to keep making her do stuff."

"Well, come on. She has never listened to anyone that well," Chuck tried to defend himself.

Hotch shook his head and grabbed Kahlan by the shoulders again. She was staring at Sam, though.

"Why is she looking at me like that?" Sam asked as he took an involuntary step back.

"She's probably thinking the same thing Hotch did and trying to figure out whether or not to kill you," Cam told him simply.

"Please make her stop," Sam pleaded as he stepped behind Cam.

"Look at me, Kahlan," Hotch told her and she did.


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64**

Hotch studied Kahlan's face and his heart sank. "Oh shit," he said aloud.

"You know what's wrong with her?" Cam asked him as he stepped closer to them.

"She has powder on her face," Hotch told them as he moved Kahlan's head around to look at it more closely.

"Oh God, you think it's Bowman's powder?" Chuck asked desperately.

"Bowman's powder didn't make her act like that," Cam pointed out.

"No. I'd say it's scopolamine," Hotch told them as he studied her eyes.

"What's that?" Chuck asked quickly as he got closer and reached out to wipe it off her face.

Hotch moved Kahlan out of his reach. "Don't touch! Jesus, you want to be acting like her?"

"What is it?" Cam asked him as he grabbed Sam's pack and turned him around so he could get in it.

"It's a compliant drug. We ran across it on a case. It takes away free will and makes the person do whatever he or she is told," he explained as his stomach twisted into a knot. He didn't want to consider what Damian had her do.

Chuck took out his canteen. "Here, wash it off," he suggested.

"No. It might make it absorb into her skin more," Hotch told him.

Cam took a shirt out of the pack and then walked up to Kahlan. "Stand still," he told her tentatively.

"Ok," she told him simply.

He used the shirt to wipe her off as best he could. Once he was done, he looked at Hotch. "Do we know what happened with Damian?"

"No, I didn't get that far," Hotch told him with a look to Chuck.

"How compliant does it make her?" Chuck asked nervously. Apparently he was thinking some of the same dark thoughts Hotch was.

"It's used in Columbia a lot. Someone can blow it someone's face and then that person takes them to the bank and empties out their bank account for them." He took a deep breath. "Of course it's used for more violent crimes, too."

"Can we trust what she says?" Sam asked him.

Hotch shrugged. "I don't know a lot about it, but I do know that she won't have any memory of it once it's out of her system." He grabbed her shoulders again. "You were at the cabin with Damian," he started as he looked her in the eyes his worry for her made the red of her eyes not even bother him anymore.

"Yeah."

"He blew a powder in your face?"

She squeezed her eyes shut for a second. "Yeah."

"Then what did he tell you to do?" She reached up and starting rubbing her eyes. Hotch pulled her hand away. "Don't rub them. It might make it worse."

"Ok."

He sighed. Normally he couldn't keep up with her quick thinking, but she was having trouble following any train of thought. "What did Damian tell you to do?"

She scrunched up her face. "He told me to hold his hand."

Hotch had to let go of her as his hands balled into fists. _I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!_

"Hotch, you don't have to question her about it. It's not her fault what he made her do," Cam told him as he put a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course it's not her fault, but we have to know what happened to him," Hotch pointed out and then took a deep breath to get his emotions back under control. He looked at Kahlan again. "Then what did he tell you to do?"

"We walked to his truck."

"Ok, then what?" She squeezed her eyes shut again as she turned her head away from him. "Kahlan?" Hotch asked a little more forcibly. "What did he tell you to do?"

She shook her head and finally looked at him again. His heart ached at the look of fear on her face, and he suddenly didn't want her to answer. "He told me to kiss him," she told him as she wrung her hands together.

"It's alright, Babe. It's not your fault," he told her quickly.

"I didn't want to," she started and looked like she was about to tear up.

"It's alright, Kahlan," he assured her.

"So I smashed his head into the dash and jumped out."

"What?!" all of the men yelled at the same time.

She flinched at the noise and ducked her head. "I'm sorry."

"How the hell did she not obey him? She's obeying us, so she's still under the effects," Cam considered out loud.

Hotch looked at him and then back to Kahlan. "I have no idea," he admitted.

"Could she be lying?" Chuck asked quickly. "I mean, if he told her to come in here and say that, she would, right?"

Hotch's brows rose as he considered it. "I don't know if she has the ability to lie. She can't even think straight, how could she keep a lie straight. It's not like it only makes the person listen to whoever drugged him."

"Kay," Chuck started as he moved to her; she looked at him expectantly. "What did you do when you jumped out of the truck?"

"I ran."

"Did he follow you?"

She looked back the way she had come. "I don't know."

"How could you not know? You're too good to not know if you're being followed," Chuck demanded.

Kahlan shrunk down a little as she pressed her eyes shut again. "I don't know."

"Enough," Hotch told him. "You're freaking her out."

"She's freaking me out!" Chuck told him and then moved away from her, but he still looked at her suspiciously.

"Babe," Hotch started to get her attention.

"I shouldn't have done that, huh?"

"What? No! You did the right thing, Kahlan," Hotch tried to reassure her.

"If there's a chance he's following her, I think we need to get out of here," Sam suggested.

Cam and Chuck looked to the hills surrounding them and suddenly felt very vulnerable. "He's right," Cam told him and looked at Hotch.

Hotch nodded and grabbed Kahlan's hand. "Hold my hand and don't let go," he instructed her.

"Ok," she told him and waited for him to lead the way.

"I'll take point," Chuck said and started off.

"I got rear," Sam told them as he waited for them to follow Chuck.

"Follow Chuck," Hotch told her as he started off.

"Ok," she told him and fell into step with him.

Hotch took a deep breath as he glanced at his wife out of the corner of his eye. _Please let that be all that really happened._

"How long does that stuff last?" Cam asked as he caught up with Hotch.

"I have no idea. It probably depends on how much, what strength. . ." he shook his head. "I don't know."

Cam nodded as he looked at Kahlan. "Have you ever heard of anyone being able to not obey while under its affect?"

"No, but, again, I don't know a lot about it. I do know it makes some people extremely aggressive," Hotch told him as they walked.

Cam considered it and then smiled. "Maybe he didn't give her enough to make her do something she really didn't want to do."

Hotch nodded. He knew Kahlan had a strong mind, but he would have to wait and talk to Reid about it.

About forty-five minutes later, Kahlan suddenly planted her feet firmly and her hand pulled out of Hotch's as he kept going. He turned to her and everyone else stopped and turned to them.

"Hold his hand, Kay. We still have a while to go," Chuck told her.

"What? Am I three?" she asked him sarcastically.

A massive smile grew on Chuck's face. "She's back!"

Kahlan looked at all of them and she stumbled back a step. "What the hell is going on?" she asked desperately.

Hotch grabbed her hand. "It's alright, Babe," he tried to assure her as he saw the panic in her eyes.

"No it's not, Aaron!" she yelled as she pulled away from him. "What the hell is going on and where the hell are we?" she demanded as she looked around and tried to figure out where they were.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Hotch asked her gently.

She looked at him and her eyes got wide for a second and then she teared up. "Oh God! Has it been two months again?"

"What?" Hotch asked her and then he realized what she was thinking. "No," he told her quickly. "It hasn't even been one full day."

She relaxed a little as she looked at the faces around her. When she finally saw Sam, hatred covered her face.

"Oh shit. Not again," Sam yelled and tried to hide behind Chuck.

"What is he doing here?" she demanded to know as her hand went into the pocket at her right thigh.

"He's alright," Hotch tried to assure her, but he didn't move to put himself in between them because he'd seen that look on her face before and he wasn't about to get hurt over it because he had no clue what was in her pocket.

"You trust him?" she asked Chuck.

Chuck swallowed hard. "Yes."

"Mrs. Hotchner, I am sorry Damian has turned out to be the one behind all of this, but I assure you, I haven't had anything to do with it," Sam told her honestly.

She studied him for a moment and he shuffled his feet nervously. Finally she huffed. "You better be glad Mack likes you."

He beamed. "Mack likes me?"

She shook her head and turned back to her husband. "What happened?"

Hotch took a deep breath. "We're not entirely sure, but I think he used scopolamine on you."

She shut her eyes and shook her head slowly, and they could all tell she knew what he was talking about. She swallowed the bile that rose up her throat. "What did he make me do?" she asked him quietly.

"Nothing really," Hotch tried.

She eyed him suspiciously, and then a horrible thought came into her mind. Her stomach and chest heaved as she tried to stop herself from throwing up as her hand went to her mouth. "He didn't?" she asked him weakly.

"What?" Hotch asked and then realized what she was thinking. "No! Not that we know of anyway," he told her as he took her into his arms.

"God, Aaron, I am so sorry," she told him and then cried into his shoulder.

"Your fine, Babe. I don't think you did anything other than hold his hand," he told her as he rubbed a hand up and down her back.

After a few moments she pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes. "Did you kill him?"

"No; we haven't seen him."

She pulled away from him and looked at the others. "Then how did you get me away from him?"

"You got away and came to us," Cam told her.

Her face showed her confusion. "How?"

"We haven't really figured that out yet, but were really glad you did," Chuck told her with a smile.

She shook her head as she tried to remember. "I remember leaving the cabin, but that's it."

"Your fine, Babe," Hotch told her as he grabbed her hand again.

She nodded as she glanced at Chuck and then looked at her husband again. "So I was still under the effects of it when I found you?" she asked him and looked at Chuck again.

"Yes," Hotch told her as he looked at her questioningly. "What?"

She fixed Chuck with a look. "What did you make me do?" she demanded to know.

"What? Why would you ask me that?" Chuck asked innocently.

"Oh, please, you have guilt written all over your face! Give me your phone!" she demanded as she held out her hand.

"Why? We don't have any service up here," he told her and then glanced at Hotch.

"I want to make sure you didn't make a video of me doing something stupid!" she told him as she took a step closer to him.

"That would have been hilarious!" Chuck started as he stepped back from her laughing. "But I didn't!" he added quickly when he saw the evil look on her face.

"Charles!"

"I swear!"

She turned to Hotch. "Aaron?"

He chuckled. "No, Babe. He didn't."

She looked back and forth between them and then settled on Chuck. "You better hope I don't find out you're lying. I'll sic Sampson on your ass."

Chuck swallowed hard. "You wouldn't." She raised her brows. "You would," he rubbed a hand through his hair. "But I didn't," he insisted.

She gave him a look that made him really glad he didn't do something so foolish. She turned back to Hotch. "We better get out of here. He could be following us or me or whatever," she told them as she shook her head. "I'm getting really tired of people screwing with my mind."

Hotch pulled her into a hug. "I know, Babe. I know."

"Come on. We're less than a klick from the cabin and then about one more to the Jeep," Chuck told them and started back up the hill they had been climbing.

"Yeah," Hotch said as he grabbed Kahlan's hand and she fell in step with him. She smiled at him and he finally felt like he could breathe freely again.

After about twenty steps, Hotch stumbled and fell to one knee with a groan.

"What?" Kahlan asked him desperately.

He shook his head as his arm wrapped around his stomach. "I just feel like I'm going to get sick all of a sudden."

"Oh no! What if there was something on that syringe?" she asked him as she knelt down in front of him and felt his forehead.

"What syringe?" Cam asked desperately as he came up beside them.


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter 65**

Hotch waved them both away and stood up. "I'm fine," he told them as he stood up, but it was plain to see the pain still on his face.

"Damian had a syringe stuck in his neck. That's why I gave up without a fight," she told them.

"Oh man," Chuck started and ran a hand through his hair. "Could it have been botulism?"

"I don't know," she told him and then looked back at her husband. "We need to hurry."

Chuck and Cam both nodded and they took off again.

Kahlan grabbed Hotch's hand and pulled him along a little quicker than he wanted to go. "I'll be fine," he tried to assure her as he hid a wince.

She raised her brows. "Yeah, Aaron, you're always fine," she told him and pulled on him harder.

After five minutes he was clutching his stomach as he walked and Kahlan noticed that he was sweating. He pulled away from her and supported himself on a tree with his free hand. "I just need a minute," he told her as he breathed heavily.

They all stopped and were looking at him. Kahlan went to him and felt how hot he was. "You're soaked," she told him as she put a hand on his back. She looked at Chuck. "Carry him!"

Chuck nodded and slung his gun over his shoulder and advanced on Hotch.

Hotch stood up defiantly. "I don't think so," he told him as he fixed Chuck with his stare. Chuck froze and looked at Kahlan.

Kahlan studied him. "What's wrong with your arm?" she asked him desperately as she pulled his arm out to check it. There was a dark wet stain around his elbow. "Jesus Christ, Aaron, you're bleeding!"

"What?" Hotch asked as he pulled his arm away from her and looked at it.

"Oh my God," Kahlan exclaimed as she looked at him. She grabbed him and spun him around to get a look at his side. "You've been shot," she told him as she took in the blood on his left side.

"What? How?" Chuck asked as he pulled up Hotch's shirt. He thought he still wore the dragon skin, but at that point and time he was afraid he wasn't. They all sucked in a breath when they saw the armor shirt covered in blood.

Kahlan pushed Chuck out of the way and inspected the shirt. She put a finger though a small hole in it. "Son of a bitch!" She inspected the small round hole in Hotch's side. It was about the size of a nickel and bleeding. Her heart sank.

"He's got armor piercing rounds," Cam said softly.

Hotch and Kahlan both looked at him. Kahlan stood up and looked her husband in the eyes. "It must be Damian." She kneelt down and turned Hotch around slowly looking for an exit wound. _God damn it! If there's no exit then it probably shattered inside. _She took a deep breath and put Hotch's shirt back down and stood up.

Chuck, Cam, and Sam all turned to look out into the darkening woods around them.

"But we didn't hear a shot," Hotch told her weakly still not completely comprehending the fact that he'd been shot. He groaned as a wave of pain went through him and he bent over a little as he held onto his stomach. "Then why didn't he just kill me?" he asked no one in particular.

Kahlan bit her lip as her chest tightened. _Because a gut shot this far away from help will probably kill you, Hun. Son of a bitch did it on purpose._ She tried to give him a smile. "Maybe you moved at the right time," she lied. _I'm going to kill you Damian! There won't be any hope that I will save you for Aaron, not now. And you will pay dearly!_

Hotch nodded. "Then he could have any of you in his sights. We need to get the hell out of here," he told them as he grabbed Kahlan's hand and started out. He stumbled after one step.

"Help him!" Kahlan demanded to the men. Chuck nodded and hit Sam on the shoulder. Sam nodded and handed his rifle to Kahlan. Her hands dropped under its weight. "Yeah right," she said as she shoved it back at him. "Are you trying to throw out my back?"

"Oh, sorry," Sam told her sheepishly.

"Give it to me," Cam told him as he handed his gun to Kahlan. Sam did and then went to one side of Hotch. He grabbed Hotch's right arm and put it over his shoulder as Chuck did the same with his left. They both grabbed the back of his pants and then took off.

Kahlan quickly got in front of them keeping an eye out for Damian.

Cam took up the rear and silently wished he had his satellites to help him figure out where Damian was.

"You know, if you weren't so tall, we could just carry you," Chuck tried to joke with Hotch.

"Sorry," is all Hotch said.

"Hey! I like my men tall. You leave him alone!" Kahlan told him with a smile. Hotch returned the smile, but Kahlan could tell he was trying to mask the pain he was in, and her heart sank.

After about ten minutes, Hotch told them he had to stop. He went to his knees and held his midsection. "I just need a minute," he told them weakly.

Kahlan went up to him and pulled his head to her in a hug as she looked around. They were walking in a valley because the terrain was easier, but it left them vulnerable to higher ground. She let go of Hotch, grabbed something out of Chuck's thigh pocket, and went to Sam. "Those muscles good for anything other than to look at and carrying that brick?"

He stood up straighter. "What did you need?"

"See that group of boulders up by that fallen tree?" she asked as she pointed up the side of the hill further down the valley.

"Yeah," Sam told her as he studied the area.

She held out a grenade. "Think you could hit it?"

Sam looked at the grenade and then back to the place she pointed out. "Not a problem. Just explain why."

Kahlan smiled. She liked when people wanted to learn what she could teach. "That tree is stopping those rocks from falling. No tree and they'll start downhill. See those other rocks downhill? They'll all get tangles up and cause one massive landslide. Damian will either have to climb over it or go around. Either way, he'll be slowed down some."

Sam nodded his understanding and took the grenade. He took a couple steps towards his target, pulled the pin, and lobbed the grenade. It hit perfectly and caused even more damage than Kahlan thought it would. They all smiled at the results.

She patted him on the shoulder. "Nice shot," she told him and went back to Hotch. She didn't like the way he was getting so pale.

"I could just carry him," Sam suggested.

She shook her head quickly. "You can't carry a gut shot like that. It would cause even more damage than the bullet has." She looked at Chuck. "We need to hurry."

Chuck nodded and he and Sam took their places and basically ran with Hotch. Kahlan silently prayed that Hotch would make it to the Jeep and down off the mountain to help.

XXX

By the time they were passing the cabin, Hotch's feet were being drug behind him as he couldn't support any of his own weight. Kahlan was panicking inside. For Hotch to be showing that much weakness, she knew he must have been in serious trouble. She brought them to a stop and they sat Hotch down gently. She went to him and knelt down in front of him. "We're almost to the Jeep; how are you doing?"

He nodded, not sure if he could trust his voice.

"Give me the canteen," she told Chuck.

"He shouldn't drink," he started but stopped. "Sorry," he told her as he handed it to her. He knew Kahlan knew what to do as well as what not to do in almost any situation.

She opened it and poured some on the top of Hotch's head. Then she wiped his face off with her shirt.

"It's not bleeding that bad," he told her as he looked at his side and a moan of pain escaped him as his face scrunched up.

She shared a look with Chuck because they both knew Hotch was probably bleeding internally. She felt the sting of tears prick at the back of her eyes. She put her hand on the side of his face. "Ready to go again?"

He took a deep breath and winced. He licked his lips and nodded. "Let's go before that bastard shoots someone else."

She nodded and stood up. _Of course you're worried about everyone else more than yourself, Aaron._ "Let's go. We don't stop until we reach the Jeep. Cam, take point. I got rear."

Cam nodded and took off as Sam and Chuck grabbed Hotch again and drug him along. Kahlan scanned the forest, but it was getting way too dark to see anything. _Come on. Show yourself, you son of a bitch!_ After several heart beats, she turned to follow the guys.

By the time they got to the Jeep, Hotch was even paler, and Kahlan didn't even think that was possible. He was also having trouble breathing. "I think he. . . might have. . . hit one of. . . my lungs. I feel. . . like I can't breathe," he told her weakly.

"No, Hun. If that was the case you would have had trouble breathing immediately," she told him as she studied his face and grabbed his hand.

"He must have ruptured his diaphragm and is bleeding into his chest," Chuck told her as he helped lay Hotch down on the tail gate of the Jeep. Sam and Cam took up position around the Jeep.

She nodded her agreement. "Do it," she told him and he went around to the back door, got in, and started searching through his stuff. He finally came back with a big tackle box.

Hotch looked at it and then looked at him. "We don't. . . have time to. . . go fishing," he joked.

Chuck smiled as he sat the box down next to Hotch and opened it. He started rummaging through it. "I'm going to put in a chest tube," Chuck started as he finally found what he was looking for.

Hotch looked at Kahlan with a little panic. "He knows how. . . to do that?"

She smiled warmly at him. "Chuck's a trained field medic."

Hotch huffed. "Of course. . . he is."

Chuck looked at Kahlan. "I don't have any lidocaine or anything."

Kahlan's stomach dropped.

"Just do. . . it," Hotch insisted as his face showed his pain; his breathing was shallow and rapid.

Kahlan nodded and pulled Hotch's shirt and armor shirt up and off of him. "You have to stay real still," she told Hotch as she held his hand.

Hotch nodded and squeezed her hand tightly.

"Actually, I could put you out; then you won't feel it," she suggested.

Hotch shook his head violently. "No!"

"But. . ."

"Please don't," he pleaded.

"Alright, Hun."

Chuck readied the scalpel in one hand and a forceps and tube in the other. He looked at Kahlan, and she nodded.

Hotch clenched his teeth together and groaned in pain as Chuck sliced through layers of skin and muscle. Hotch's body started to curl to the side as his body tried to flee the pain. Kahlan let go of his hand and moved to hold him still. "Almost there," Chuck told him as his fingers helped guide the blade in between two of Hotch's ribs. He silently prayed that Hotch would pass out from the pain. As soon as Chuck was through and the tube was in place, liquid poured out of the tube. Kahlan and Chuck looked at the liquid and then at each other. They both knew it was more than blood.

Hotch finally released the breath he'd been holding and panted trying to breathe through the pain. He relaxed a little once he realized he could breathe easier. He nodded to let them know he was alright.

"Got any Vano in there?" Kahlan asked him knowing full well the possibility of infection was greater with a gut shot, and seeing what was coming out of the chest tube, she knew the bullet fragments must have hit Hotch's bowels.

Chuck dug through the box and brought it out. He gave it to her and she held it to Hotch's shoulder. "What's that?" he asked as he looked at it.

"Just an antibiotic for precaution," she told him quickly and injected him. "Any injectable pain killers?" she asked desperately. Chuck shook his head. _Damn it!_

"If you think he can handle the ride, we need to get going," Chuck told her as he studied Hotch. He may have been breathing better, but the dark mass growing on his abdomen told him that he was bleeding into his abdomen, too.

Kahlan stood up. "Move him to the back seat," she instructed and climbed in first. Sam and Cam both helped Chuck move Hotch into the back so his head and shoulders were resting on Kahlan. Then Chuck and Cam got up front and Sam climbed into the back.

"Hang on," Chuck told them as soon as he made sure they were all ready, and he started back down the mountain.


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter 66**

"Sorry for bleeding all. . . over you Jeep, Chuck," Hotch tried to joke as he winced in pain.

Chuck laughed. "Don't worry, I'll send you the detailing bill."

Kahlan could feel Hotch's heart racing. "You need to slow down your heart, Hun. You're bleeding too fast."

He nodded as he held his breath and tried to calm himself down, but fear and pain wouldn't let him. He released his breath and shook his head.

She put a supportive arm around his head and grabbed his hand. She stuck it under her shirt and held it to her chest. "You can feel what I'm feeling, right? So feel mine. Feel it slow down and match it," she told him using a certain tone that she knew calmed him down. She smiled at him and then consciously made hers slow down.

He took a couple deep breaths and tried to focus on the beat of her heart. After a second or two, his started to mirror hers.

"There you go. Keep it up," she told him softly as she leaned down and whispered into his ear.

A jarring bump jostled him and made him tense and grunt in pain. Kahlan was starting to lose her resolve seeing the man she loved so distraught. "Let me put you out, Hun," she suggested as she stroked his hair.

His eyes opened wide. "No!"

"But I can't handle seeing you in this much pain," she told him as tears trailed down her cheeks.

He shook his head as he squeezed his eyes shut in pain.

"Why not?"

"Because I want you to stay with me," he told her as he looked her in the eyes.

She looked at him questioningly. "I'm not going to leave you, Hun."

He held his stomach as another wave of pain hit him. "You promise?"

She looked at him lovingly. "Of course!"

"You promise not to leave me. . ." he had to pause as he cringed in pain. "To go after him?" he finished.

She smiled sadly. "I promise to not go after him until _we _have made a plan _together_," she told him as she held onto him as they went over a few nasty bumps.

He nodded. "Chuck. Cam," he yelled

"Yeah, Hotch?" Chuck answered.

"We hear you," Cam assured him.

"He wants her," Hotch started and then tried to swallow. "Promise me that you will protect her. . . That one of you will be with her at all times. . . and not let her out of your sight."

"Of course, man," Chuck told him as he looked over his shoulder at him.

"We promise, Hotch," Cam told him as he reached back and squeezed his arm.

Hotch nodded and licked his lips and then moaned in pain as the Jeep lurched.

"Are you done now?" Kahlan asked him tenderly. He nodded and her hand went to his shoulder, but he reached up and stopped her. "What? I know you trust me, and it won't hurt with all the pain you're already in." She brushed his hair back away from his forehead. "What are you afraid of?"

He locked eyes with her as tears escaped down the side of his face. "That I won't wake up again," he told her weakly and then closed his eyes and looked away from her.

"Oh, Hun," she started as she held his face. "Look at me, Aaron." He did. "Do you honestly think that if I thought you weren't going to wake up, that I would want our last moments together spent with you unconscious?"

He studied her face and eyes. Finally he shook his head.

"We are going to get you down this mountain and to a hospital. You will make it!" she told him matter-of-factly.

He tensed in pain and then looked at her again. "Alright, do it," he whispered. "I love you," he added more strongly.

She smiled as her tears hit his face. "I love you, too," she told him and then leaned down and embraced his lips with hers. Before she pulled away, she reached up and he went limp in her arms. She took a shuddering breath. "Hit it Chuck. I don't want the last thing I told him to be a lie!"

"You sure?" Chuck asked with a glance at her in the mirror.

"Yeah. He's out. Go!"

"Everyone hang on," he told them and hit the gas.

Kahlan wrapped Hotch in her arms tightly to protect him and cried into his hair.

XXX

As soon as they were far enough down, Chuck got Rossi on the radio. Rossi almost cried in relief when he heard them. It had taken them a lot longer than they thought, and his imagination was starting to make him think all kinds of bad things. He had even called for Morgan and them to bring a four wheel drive and they were almost there. He wasn't sure how they were going to find them, but Mina assured him that her team could track them through the forest if it came down to it.

Rossi's relief was short lived, though, when Chuck told him that Hotch was wounded. "He's been shot. It's bad," Chuck told him.

"Oh my God. Is Kahlan alright?"

"Yeah, but you need to get a medevac in here, now. I don't care from where or who, but they need to come now!"

"Alright," Rossi told him as Mack took out her phone. If anyone could find them one, it was Garcia.

"I don't care if I have to buy one off of somebody and fly it myself. . ."

"I'll have one," Rossi assured him. "Is everyone else alright?"

"Yeah. It's Damian."

Rossi was shocked into silence. _Oh my God, no wonder we couldn't figure it out._ "Has he been taken care of?"

"No. He's still out here somewhere. After we get Hotch taken care of, we'll get 'em. I gotta go."

"Yep. Be careful," Rossi told him and prayed that they wouldn't be too late for Hotch. _I'll kill you, you little son of a bitch! How dare you go after Aaron!_ He had thought, like Kahlan that maybe the hit on Hotch was due to jealousy over Hotch being put in charge, so he had no idea that it was actual jealously over Kahlan. _I'll kill him!_

XXX

Rossi ran over to the Jeep as soon as it skidded to a stop. One look in the back window and he felt his knees get weak. "Is he?" he couldn't bring himself to ask the whole question.

"He's still alive," Kahlan told him though her tears. "Where's the damn chopper?"

"They should be here any minute. The closest level one trauma center is Charleston," Rossi told her quickly as he opened the door and his eyes watered as he looked at the man he thought of as a son. Hotch was lying in Kahlan's lap, breathing unsteadily, paler than he had ever seen him, and bleeding out of a tube in his chest.

"We shouldn't move him until they're ready for him," Cam told Rossi as he came up behind him and put a supportive hand on his back.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Rossi told them weakly as he took in the floor board.

"Son of bitch gut shot him!" Kahlan told him through clenched teeth.

Rossi ran a hand lovingly on Hotch's exposed chest. "He'll make it. He wouldn't leave us," he told them and they could all tell he was trying to reassure himself of that. He moved his hand to Kahlan face. "How are you, Kiddo?"

"I'm not," she told him quickly. "And I won't be until I know he's going to be alright."

He nodded and reached in and gave her a fatherly hug. "He's strong. He'll make it."

They all looked as soon as they heard the helicopter. Kahlan breathed a sigh of relief as Chuck went out to them as soon as they landed. He quickly told the medics what had happened as they prepared the gurney and brought it over to the Jeep. They all helped get Hotch onto it and Kahlan finally climbed out of the back seat.

Rossi almost cried at all of Hotch's blood on her legs.

She faced the medic. "I'm going with you," she demanded. She knew normally no one got to ride in the helicopter other than the medics and the injured, but she had promised Hotch she wouldn't leave him. The medic looked about ready to argue. "I don't care if I have to hang my ass out of the open door, I'm going with you!"

The medic quickly looked at all of the people around him and back to Kahlan. There were way too many guns for him to be comfortable with, so he quickly nodded and they pushed the gurney to the waiting transport.

Kahlan turned to Chuck. "Charleston. No one goes after Damian until I give the go ahead!"

"Alright, go!" Rossi demanded to her and pushed her to the helicopter. She nodded and ran to join her husband.

XXX

Once the medic got Hotch hooked up to the monitors, he started a couple IVs to help get some blood, antibiotics, and fluids into him. Hotch's blood pressure was dangerously low due to blood loss, but his heart was still beating, slowly and weakly, but faithfully. "Having a medic with you probably saved his life," the medic told her as he inspected the chest tube.

"Yeah," is all Kahlan said as she held Hotch's hand.

"How long has he been out?"

"Maybe a little over thirty minutes," she guessed.

He pursed his lips. "I'd feel a whole lot better if he'd wake up," he told her as he hung another bag of blood.

"He's was in a lot of pain."

"He's got morphine in him now, though, so the pain shouldn't be holding him back."

Kahlan licked her lips. She didn't want to wake him up to be in pain again, but if the medic needed him awake, she'd do it. The medic went toward the pilot and gave the hospital an update. Kahlan stood up, kissed Hotch on the cheek, and then woke him up. She was sitting before the medic turned back around.

Hotch moaned as his eyes started to flutter. "There you are," the medic told him with a smile.

Hotch looked around quickly. "Kahlan?" he asked hoarsely.

"Right here, Hun," she told him as she squeezed his hand.

He raised his head up to look at her, squeezed her hand, and let his head fall back down.

"Can you tell me your name?" the medic asked as he looked in Hotch's eyes.

"Aaron Hotchner."

"You allergic to anything Mr. Hotchner?"

"No."

"It's Agent Hotchner," Kahlan told him proudly.

"Oh yeah? What agency?"

"FBI."

"Wow, I bet that's exciting."

Hotch huffed and then winced in pain.

"How's your pain level?"

"Alright."

The medic looked at Kahlan, apparently not believing Hotch anymore than she did, he adjusted the morphine.

"How much longer?" Kahlan asked desperately.

"About seventeen minutes. There's not much more that I can do for him here. They will have to take him into surgery immediately."

Kahlan nodded her understanding. _Hold on, Hun. We're almost there._

Hotch suddenly rolled onto his side and threw up. Kahlan wanted to scream as she watched her husband heave knowing it was causing him excruciating pain. When she saw blood mixed with the stomach acid, she wanted to die because she then knew the bullet fragments also hit his stomach. Once he was done, the medic helped ease him back onto the gurney.

"Drink?" Hotch asked as he wiped his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Agent Hotchner, but I can't do that. I can let you rinse your mouth, but you can't swallow." Hotch nodded weakly, so he held a bottle to his lips and Hotch rinsed his mouth and then spit it on the floor where he threw up. "Just hang on, Agent; we'll be there before you know it."

XXX

Once they landed, Kahlan jumped out of the way so they could get him out, but she quickly ran in to hold his hand as they wheeled him down to the ER. "I'm right out here," she assured him once she had to finally let him go so the doctors could get to him. She saw him nod and then a nurse grabbed her arm to take her to the desk to get his information.

XXX

As soon they got x-rays and got him more stable, they prepped Hotch for surgery. Kahlan had been watching the whole thing from the hall. When one doctor tried to get her to go to the waiting room, he quickly changed his mind with the look she gave him. Once he was headed to surgery, though, Kahlan stopped one of the doctors and asked who the surgeon was. Once she found out, she hunted him down quickly. She found him scrubbing up. "Dr. Newcome?"

The doctor eyed her warily wondering how she had found him and knew who he was. He almost took a step back when he looked at her face, but he realized why her eyes were the way they were and quickly recovered. He also thought about contacting security when he noticed all of the dried blood all over her clothes. "What can I do for you?"

"I am Kahlan Hotchner, and you're about to operate on my husband. I know you're going to have to cut him open to search for all of the bullet fragments," she started.

The doctor nodded as he continued to scrub.

"I would like you to call in the best plastic surgeon you know."

"Mrs. Hotchner, I am perfectly capable of. . ."

"No doubt, but he already has scars from his job, and I don't want another horrible one added to him."

"His job?"

"He's an FBI agent, and a damn good one at that. I don't want him to be reminded of this day every time he looks in the mirror."

The man studied her. "There will still be a scar."

"I know, but the smaller the better. He's too self-conscious about his body now; I don't want him to have to deal with it. I will double his or her normal fee, and yours, too, if you get a good one in here to help you."

"So this isn't about you not being able to handle it?"

"No! His scars don't bother me like they bother him. I would love him no matter how many scars he has."

"He's done some good in his job?"

Kahlan licked her lips as she studied him. "The terrorist activity these last couple months, he headed the team who stopped them. In fact, that's why he was shot today."

The doctor nodded as he rinsed off. "Then I know just the woman. Don't worry, Mrs. Hotchner. Your husband is in good hands," he told her with a smile and then backed out of the door behind him. He wasn't sure how she could pay their fees with her husband being in the FBI, but he didn't care about that. All he cared about was that the man had helped put an end to senseless violence. He had the nurse call the plastic surgeon and he got started.


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter 67**

Chuck drove Rossi and Mack to Charleston. His GPS said it would take them a little over three hours to get there, but he knew he could get them there faster. He silently cussed himself for not giving Kay his phone. He hated that they had no contact with her, and they all prayed that Hotch had made it to the hospital. Chuck had his doubts. Rossi was worried because of all the blood in the back floor board, but he hadn't seen what had come out of the tube onto the ground. Chuck was also worried about Kay. _If Hotch doesn't make it, there'll be no stopping her until Damian is lying cold and dead._ He'd only seen her fixated relentlessly on a target one time, and it had scared the shit out of him. She didn't sleep or eat for four days as she hunted, and when she finally found him she unleashed horrors on him that gave Chuck nightmares for months. He shuddered in his seat as the memories came back to him, and he had never considered himself faint of heart. _God help you, Damian! You have no idea the shit this woman can do! Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned doesn't even come close! You'll wish you were in hell suffering eternal damnation by the time she gets done with you!_

He looked at Rossi in the passenger seat beside him. He didn't like that Rossi was so pale; with his natural olive complexion being nowhere in sight, Chuck knew how worried he was. He also looked lost and scared. They all looked up to Rossi as a pseudo father, but Chuck knew that the love between Hotch and Rossi was real. In fact, when he first got to know them, he truly thought they were father and son and he had asked Kahlan why Hotch didn't call him 'Dad'. He was actually shocked to find out they weren't, but as he learned the little bit he could about Hotch's real father; he could understand why Hotch clung to Rossi so much. Rossi had all but shut down when he thought he had lost him the day before, and it scared Chuck to see the normally vibrantly alive man so broken. Chuck hoped that Hotch made it because he knew Rossi would probably never be the same again if he didn't.

Chuck glanced at Mack in the back seat. He had taken out the floor mats and thrown a blanket down to cover up the blood, but he noticed she kept looking down at it. He figured she was seeing Hotch's blood in her mind's eye. He knew she was young, but he also knew she had seen some pretty terrible things on the cases they worked at the BAU. He figured she had never seen anything like that with someone she actually cared about, though, and he was worried about her. Chuck also knew that she looked up to Hotch as a sort of father, and he knew Hotch looked out for her like a daughter, and Chuck hoped that relationship continued.

They had all been so distraught when they thought the Hotchners were dead and then so elated to find out they weren't. For that elation to immediately go to dread as they faced the fact of maybe losing Hotch, well, it was too much of an emotional roller coaster ride from hell. With loving Kahlan like a sister for so many years, he had thought he would resent Hotch when he first found out about him and met him. When he realized how much Kay loved him, he was even a little jealous at first. As he got to know him, though, he really liked Hotch, and Hotch just naturally fell into the role of brother to him and he loved it. Not having any siblings since he was young, Chuck had clung to Kay and Cam, but being with Hotch and his work family made Chuck feel like he was part of the giant family he had always wanted. He silently prayed that Hotch made it because he didn't want to see what the loss of one its strongest members would do to that family.

As he tried to focus on the road ahead of him, his thoughts went to Hotch and Kahlan's kids. He sighed deeply. He didn't want to have to think of how the loss or their father would affect them. While he knew they were better off still having their mother, unlike the previous day when they all thought they had lost both parents, he knew it would crush them. While he knew Jack loved Kahlan like a mother, Chuck knew what losing both of your parents felt like. Still, though, he knew Jack was strong, just like his father, and he would survive. The one he was worried about the most was Joey. He knew she was just like Kahlan, and he was worried about how losing her father would taint her. She had the ability for strong love, just like her mother, and he was worried about her developing strong hate at such a young age. He couldn't imagine what Kahlan would have been like if she had hated the world as she grew up. He shuddered to think how dark Joey might actually become if it came down to it. _That's a thought too scary to have!_

**XXXXX**

Sam drove Cameron back to the BAU so he could get to his computers and start the search for Damian. He silently cussed himself for not bringing his laptop with him. He knew Kahlan would want the hunt for Damian to start as soon as she was ready, and he planned on having some lead for her by that time. He was worried about Damian finding out about Hotch being taken to Charleston. He knew Damian was smart, but he also knew Kay and Chuck were there to protect Hotch. He sighed deeply. He also knew Rossi and Mack were there and Morgan and Mina were on their way. He just hoped that Damian didn't try anything extreme, like botulism or something Kahlan and them couldn't fight physically. _Maybe Hotch is protected enough; I just hope Damian doesn't decide to go after anyone else!_

**XXXXX**

JJ paced in the conference room at the BAU. Once they found out it was Damian, they had packed everything up and moved back to their rightful home leaving the warehouse as if they had never been used it. Will went up and pulled her into a hug. "He'll be fine, Cherie."

JJ looked at her husband. "Then why haven't we heard anything?"

"He's in surgery," Garcia told her as she walked in carrying her laptop. They looked at her questioningly. "What? I hacked into their server."

JJ laughed and they all joined Garcia at the table.

"How long has he been in there?" Reid asked her. He had already run all the statistics in his head once he found out what type of injury Hotch had suffered. He didn't share his findings with any of them because the outlook was bleak at best, and he silently prayed that Hotch beat the odds like he had done before.

"A little over an hour is all. That's expected, though, right?" Garcia asked them as her eyes watered again. She had cried when she found out Hotch had been shot. She had cried again when Rossi told them about how Hotch was wounded and what shape he was in when the helicopter took him to Charleston. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her eyes. _No, no more crying. He will be fine!_

JJ gave Garcia's shoulders a squeeze. "Yes. It will take them time to repair whatever damage they find. We don't need to worry yet."

Garcia smiled up at her. "Right. I need to see about finding the rotten little shit that has hurt my liege! No, he's not rotten, he's worse than that! He's decomposing! And when I get done with him, he won't have a rock to hide under!"

JJ stepped back and shared a look with Reid. They had seen Garcia mad before, and they knew the havoc she could wreak with her computer. _God help you, Damian! You have messed with the wrong family this time!_

Will shuddered to think what Garcia was going to do, and when he thought of Cameron joining her, he actually almost felt sorry for Damian.

Reid hid a smile and got out a few maps. They knew the general vicinity where Damian was last known to be in, and he was trying to run a geographical profile to see if he could figure out where he might go next.

**XXXXX**

Morgan slammed a hand down on the steering wheel. Mina looked at him and reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. "He'll make it, Derek."

Morgan nodded. "Yeah, but it still pisses me off that we didn't think about that son of a bitch! Every clue we had pointed to someone with that type of training."

"A spy," Mina agreed.

"And we never once looked at any of them."

"We didn't know we couldn't trust Damian. Kahlan brought them in, and Chuck and Cam trusted them, too."

"But I knew he didn't like Hotch. They got into it before we hit the lodge. If you would have seen how he looked at Hotch. . ." he shook his head. "And he had asked me about Kahlan."

"Did he say anything that would make you believe that he'd do this?"

"No, but it was the look on his face. It bothered me then. . . Why didn't I see him for what he really was?" He slammed down his hand again. He looked at her seriously. "What if it's not just Damian? What if someone else on his team is helping him?"

Mina's brows rose as she considered it. "Chuck and them trust Sam."

"Yeah, but what about the rest of them?" he asked her as he shook his head.

**XXXXX**

The closer Chuck got to the hospital, the madder he got at himself. He knew how much Damian liked Kahlan, and he saw how Hotch and Kahlan both ripped him a new one. _I should have known it didn't make a difference! Damn it, if I would have seen how much he wanted Kay, I could have stop the little fucker before it got so far out of hand!_

**XXXXX**

Cam silently seethed as Sam got closer to the BAU. _ I should have checked them out! I should have taken it upon myself to check them out as soon as Clapper brought them in! If I had, I would have realized there was something off about Damian's past. Pen and I would have searched and not stopped until we found out the truth about him! Once we found out who his father was, we would have known how dangerous he was and neutralized the threat before he even became a problem!_ He looked at Sam. "Do you trust everyone else on the squad?"

Sam looked at him with furrowed brows. "You think someone is helping Damian?"

Cam raised his brows. _You didn't answer the question._ "It's a possibility."

"Agent Hotchner didn't say anything about Damian claiming a partner."

"He didn't trust you as soon as he saw you, so he had to think Damian was getting help."

"I swear, Cam, I haven't. . ."

"I trust you because Chuck trusts you, but I am worried about the rest of the squad."

"I've known Sai for about six years. He's the one who recruited me. . ."

"Kay and Chuck know him, too. He's got to be clean."

"I've known Jules the shortest, other than Damian, but I wouldn't think she'd help Damian because she doesn't really like him." Cam looked at him questioningly. "She got passed up for squad leader when he came on board."

Cam nodded slowly as he considered it. "When did he join the squad?"

"About three months ago."

"Where was he recruited from?"

"The army, I think. I really don't know that much about him. He's a pretty private guy."

"What about Bee?"

"No way! She was on the squad before me. She loves her job. She would never do anything to jeopardize her spot on the squad!" Sam insisted.

"So you truly think everyone else on the squad is clean?"

Sam pursed his lips and thought about it. He finally nodded. "I do."

"Would you have thought Damian capable of what he's done?" Cam needed to know if he could trust his instincts.

Sam shook his head. "He's always seemed a little off, like he takes a little too much pleasure in what he does, but it was never so blatant that it raised any alarms." He shook his head again. "Looking back on all the little things, though, I guess I should have put it all together and realized there was problem."

"Hind sight is twenty-twenty," Cam told him dryly. "He's father wasn't as subtle. We knew right away how screwed up he was."

"I got that you all have had a run in with him."

Cam laughed. "You could say that."

Sam sighed heavily. "He was really taken with Kay, but I just thought it was a crush with her being so famous on the squad and all."

"You all were taken with her, so I can see where that didn't really raise any alarms either."

"I still feel like I should have done something."

Cam nodded. "We all feel like that, Sam. We all do."

**XXXXX**

After Garcia tried her damnedest to search for anything on Damian, she finally realized that she wouldn't find anything more on him than she did on Kahlan in the beginning. _You wait until Puddin gets here, he'll know how to find your records!_ She slammed her laptop shut and everyone jumped. "Sorry. Just frustrated over not being to do anything yet."

JJ gave her a small smile. "I know. With him being part of that group, there isn't a whole lot we can do without Kahlan and them."

"I can't believe we didn't even suspect any of them," Will told them as he leaned back in the chair to stretch his back.

"What do you mean?" Reid asked him.

"Everything pointed to someone like Kahlan and them. Why didn't we even consider it was one of them?"

Reid nodded. "It did, but I guess we all just assumed we could thrust them since Kahlan is the one who called them in."

"But we knew how Damian felt about Kahlan. If we would have analyzed that a little further, we would have seen how his behavior bordered on obsessive," JJ pointed out. She shook her head. "I can't believe we didn't tell Hotch about how Damian was acting. Maybe if we had, Hotch wouldn't be in that hospital!"

**XXXXX**

Rossi's foot tapped on the floorboard quickly. His eyes had filled with tears and had stayed that way since he had seen the shape Hotch was in. _Why? Why didn't I know that Damian would do something like this? I knew he disliked Hotch! I saw his face when Hotch turned his back on him in that damn parking lot, but I was so busy being proud of Hotch that I didn't pay Damian enough attention. I am so sorry, Aaron. I should have seen the signs. I am supposed to protect you and I never put two and two together._ A tear escaped and fell to his lap as he turned to look out the window. _I swear, I will make it up to you, Aaron. I thought I lost you before, and if God can see it in his heart to give me another chance, I will not fail you again! Please God, please don't take him from me!_

**XXXXX**

Kahlan sat in the farthest corner away from everything that she could find. She was on the floor with her knees drawn up in front her and her head was resting on her thighs. _I am so sorry, Hun. I lead him right back to you. If I had just stayed with him, then you wouldn't be on that damn table! _She still had no idea what happened between her and Damian while she was under the effects of that drug. She tried as hard as she could to remember, but it just wouldn't come. She started to wonder if Damian had let her go on purpose with the sole intent of killing Hotch. _But he could have just killed him at the cabin once he drugged me._ She shook her head. _Maybe I pissed him off enough that he decided to take Aaron out. God damn it! Why do I always have to screw things up so badly? Why didn't I just let Aaron and them come find me? He would have been safe!_ Tears slowly made their way down her cheeks and into her pants.

She felt her anger starting to rise. _I knew he wanted me! Why didn't I see him as the threat he really was? I should have told Aaron about how Damian felt. If I hadn't tried to keep that from him, maybe Aaron would have been able to realize what type of man Damian actually is. Why do I always think hiding stuff from him is for his own good? How good is it now, you stupid bitch?! It was such a good idea that he might die because of it! God damn it, Kahlan, why can't you ever get anything right?_ She bounced her head on her thighs.

_I'm the one who called them in. If I would have just had faith in Aaron and his team, he wouldn't have met me. He would never have had the opportunity to steal the CIA badge. He would have never have found out about Aaron's involvement with Mordecai. God damn it! If I hadn't have done that shit, there would never have even been a file for Damian to see! Son of a bitch! I can't do anything right anymore! And the only ones who pay for my mistakes are the ones I love!_

She took a shuddering breath. _Maybe you'd be better off without me, Aaron. I bring so much stress to your life. If I left then maybe you could find someone you actually deserve, someone normal who would just love you and not cause you any problems! You definitely don't deserve all the shit I have put you through!_ She wept openly for the man she loved more than life itself. The saying 'if you love someone, set them free' kept playing over and over in her mind. _But I promised him I would stay with him. _She took a deep breath and wiped her face._ I'll get him through this, I will get Damian, and then I will leave him to a life where he can actually find happiness._ She slammed her fists down onto the floor. _I am so sorry, Aaron!_


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter 68**

"Excuse me, Ma'am."

A man's voice made Kahlan startle. She hadn't realized anyone had gotten close to her. She quickly looked up to see a security guard standing over her. "Yes?"

"May I ask what you're doing?" he asked her as his hand went to the taser at his waist.

Kahlan's brows furrowed as she looked at him. "I'm waiting for my husband to get out of surgery. I didn't think it was a problem sitting here. I'm sorry," she told him as she stood up.

The man stepped back from her. "You're waiting for your husband?"

"Yes," she said slowly not knowing why the man seemed so alarmed by her.

Another security guard walked up beside the first one. "May I have your husband's name?" the first man asked with a glance at the new man.

"Aaron Hotchner. Why are you asking, have I done something wrong?" she asked defensively.

The second man used his radio and after a response, he shook his head at the first man. "Ma'am, you need to come with us, please."

Kahlan's heart sank. _No God! Something has happened and they had to come find me! Oh, God!_ "Why? What's wrong?" she asked them quickly.

"Ma'am there's no record of a Hotchner as a patient here," the second man told her as his hand went to his taser, too.

Kahlan eyed them warily. "There has to be. He's being operated on as we speak," Kahlan told them as she backed up a little. _What the hell is going on?_

"Come with us, please," the first man told her.

She shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she told him with enough of an edge in her voice that the two men shared a look. She knew their tasers were the type to have to touch a person to work; not like the type some police used that could be shot, and she knew she could stop them both from getting too close to her.

The second man pulled his taser out. "Show us some ID, please."

Kahlan unconsciously reached for her back pocket, but then stopped when she found her pockets empty. _Shit, I left it at that house._ "I don't have it," she confessed. Both men tensed. "Look, my husband's name is Aaron Hotchner. He works with the FBI. My name is Kahlan Hotchner, and I work for the Director of National Intelligence. I don't have my ID or even my badge because in the panic to get my husband to the hospital before he died, I didn't think about grabbing my purse!" She took a deep breath. "Check the hospital again. He was brought in by helicopter a few hours ago. Hotchner. H.O.T.C.H.N.E.R."

The first man used his radio to have them check again. He turned up the volume, and Kahlan could clearly hear the response that told him they had no record of a Hotchner. Kahlan bit her lip. _Could he have died and they don't have him listed in the OR? Oh God!_ "Please, just call the FBI they will tell you. . ."

"Ma'am, you need to come with us," the first man told her as he too took out his taser.

"Look. I know it sounds farfetched, but I assure you. . ."

"Just come with us," the second man said as he stepped up grabbed her arm.

Kahlan twisted out of his grasp easily and backed up. "Don't touch me!" she told him angrily. Her hand went to her pocket. _Has the whole damn world gone crazy?_

"She's got a knife!" the second man yelled as he saw what was in her pocket. They both stepped back and Kahlan almost laughed at the fear in their eyes.

"Jesus Christ! I'm not going to hurt you. . ." she started as she held her hands up submissively.

The first man called for backup: telling his radio that she was 'armed and dangerous.'

Kahlan laughed. _If you only knew how dangerous._ "If I wanted to kill you. . ." she started as she threw the knife at the wall to her right without looking. "You'd be dead already," she finished wickedly.

Both men's heads snapped to the knife sticking into the wall. It had hit a flyer on a message board, and her aim was deadly as it struck the smiley face right between the eyes. The first man swallowed hard and took another step back. "We don't want any trouble. . ."

"Kahlan?"

Kahlan turned around and saw Rossi, Chuck, and Mack running down the hallway towards her. "Thank God, Dave. Tell these idiots who I am."

Rossi came to a stop and pulled out his badge. As he talked to the men, Chuck and Mack went up to her. Chuck pulled her into a hug. "Jesus, Chuck," Kahlan started as she lost a few tears as she melted into his embrace.

"Is he?" Chuck asked quickly.

She pulled back and looked at them all. She could tell they all wanted to know if he had made it to the hospital. "He's in surgery," she started but then looked at the security guards. "Or at least I think he is."

"What do you mean, 'think'?" Dave quickly asked her.

"These dumbasses can't seem to find him in their computer," she told him as she gestured to the guards who had finally but their tasers away.

"There is no record of a Hotchner being admitted to this hospital," the first man told Dave.

Dave looked at him questioningly and then looked back at Kahlan with shock. After a heartbeat, he looked at Mack. "Go help her get cleaned up then we'll see if we can figure out what's going on together."

Chuck handed Kahlan her bag from off his shoulder. Kahlan huffed. "I don't need to get cleaned up. I want to know what's happening!"

"Kay," Chuck started as he put a hand on her shoulder. "You have blood all over your face."

Kahlan reached up and felt her face in shock. Then she sighed. "It must have come off of my pants when I was crying." She looked at the guards apologetically. "No wonder you thought I was some crazy person." The guards didn't say anything but she could tell they still thought she was. "Where's the nearest restroom," she asked them with a small smile. The first man pointed down the hall and Kahlan took her bag as she shook her head. Mack quickly caught up with her.

Ten minutes later, she emerged in fresh clothes, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and clean. "Where's Dave?" she asked Chuck.

He started down the hall. "He went to the ER to see if he can find out what's going on."

They all caught up with Dave. They could tell something wasn't right by the look on his face. "They don't have him in the computer. They don't even have a record of the helicopter bringing anyone in."

"What?!" Kahlan asked as she looked around at the people working. Her heart sank when she realized there had been a shift change because she didn't recognize anyone. She looked at the nurse. "Newcome. Dr. Newcome is the one doing the operation!"

The nurse started typing. "Dr. Newcome is in OR 4 at the moment, but Hotchner is not the name of the patient."

"What's the name?" Mack asked quickly.

The nurse looked uneasy, and Dave pulled out his badge. "This is important."

She studied the badge and finally nodded. "A male by the name of Jackson Dunmire."

Kahlan and Dave shared a look. "Cam," Kahlan said.

"Pen," Dave suggested at the same time. They both laughed.

Kahlan turned back to the nurse. "That's him," she told her and she felt her chest relax a little.

The nurse looked at Dave and Kahlan warily but didn't say anything.

Dave pulled Kahlan away from the desk. "They probably hacked in to make sure Damian couldn't find out anything about Aaron."

Kahlan shook her head. "I know. I can't believe I didn't think of that. Jesus Christ, I can't do anything right any more. By giving them his real name I have put him in danger again."

"It's fine, Kahlan. How was he when he got here?"

"Holding on." She looked at her watch. "I don't like that it's taking so long, though," she told him and a tear escaped her eye.

Rossi pulled her into a hug. "He's going to be fine, Kiddo."

She pulled away from him. "Yeah, maybe once I stop putting him in danger." She walked away from him and sat down roughly in one of the waiting room chairs.

Chuck and Rossi shared a look. Rossi went and sat down next to her and grabbed her hand. "This is not your fault, Kiddo." She huffed and got up. Rossi followed her and pulled her back to him. "This is Damian's fault."

She looked at him and he almost took a step back from the hatred in her eyes. "And he will pay dearly."

He swallowed hard. He didn't want to know what she had planned for the young man, but he didn't really care. "I think there will be a line of us waiting to get our turn at him," he told her with a smile.

She huffed again. "There won't be anything left for you when I get done!" She tuned to Chuck. "Do you have my phone, by chance?"

Chuck winced. "Everything was destroyed in the fire."

Her shoulders slumped. "Damn it! I was hoping he was lying about that." She shook her head and then a thought dawned on her and fear filled her face. "Oh my God, you didn't actually think. . . You didn't tell the kids did you?"

Rossi put his hand on her shoulder. "No! We were still so in shock that we didn't get to tell anyone other than our little group. Then, when we figured out it wasn't you all in that house we were focused on trying to find you. Nobody knows anything."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I'm really glad he didn't take off my jewelry to help with the charade. I don't know what we'd done if I didn't have those homing beacons."

Chuck beamed. "I'm the one who figured out it wasn't you."

She smiled at him. "And how did you do that?"

"Because the rings the bodies had on didn't have your design on them," he told her with a smile as he brought up her left hand and showed her her own rings.

She smiled. "I never knew you noticed the design. No one else ever mentioned it."

"Hey! I know everything about you," he told her and then pulled her into another hug. With everything that had happened since she had shown up, he'd never gotten to be truly happy about her being alive. A tear escaped his eye as he sighed.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I'm ok," she assured him. "I owe you my life again."

He pushed her away as he chuckled. "Yep, but you're still up twenty-six to thirteen."

She laughed. "Well, with you saving Aaron all these times, how about we call it even?"

He smiled slyly. "No way. I'm up on that one, six to zero."

Rossi and Mack shared a smile.

Kahlan took in a deep breath. "Well, I want a phone, and a laptop."

He pursed his lips. "I promised Hotch I wouldn't leave you."

"I can go get you one," Mack suggested quickly.

"Thanks, Mack," Kahlan started and then reached for her wallet again. She shook her head once she realized she didn't have it again.

Chuck took out his and gave Mack a credit card. "You want an iPhone, right?"

"Yeah. Get Hotch one, too. With your badge you should be able to have them give us our numbers back, but if not, have them call me through Chuck's phone."

Mack nodded and took the card. "What if they want ID?"

Chuck laughed. "Not with that card they won't." Mack looked at him questioningly, but put the card in her pocket. Chuck tossed her his keys. "Don't get no piece of crap laptop either."

She nodded and gave Kahlan a hug. "I'll be right back."

Kahlan smiled her thanks and Mack started for the exit. "Get me an iPod, too."

Mack held up her hand to let her know that she heard her and went out the door.

Rossi grabbed Kahlan's hand. "When was the last time you ate?" Kahlan squinted her eyes. He chuckled. "Do you even remember, Aaron?"

She huffed. "Before we went to the safe house. Was that really last night?"

Rossi shook his head. "Almost thirty-six hours ago, then?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not hungry."

"You at least need to get something small," he told her and started to pull her toward the cafeteria.

She pulled him to a stop. "But I don't want to leave. . ."

"I'll give them our numbers," Chuck told them and went back to the nurses' station.

She sighed and let Rossi take her arm and lead her down the hall.

XXX

Rossi was glad the big hospital's cafeteria was actually serving food, but when he tried to talk Kahlan into an actual meal, she refused and settled on a bagel and a hot tea. _You can be just like Aaron sometimes!_ He and Chuck ate hardily as Kahlan picked around at her plate. Morgan and Mina showed up and after finding out what they could about Hotch, they also ate. Mack came back with Kahlan's new items and quickly joined them at the table after getting herself something. They all talked and theorized over everything that had happened. Kahlan was way too quiet, and they all kept sharing looks of concern for her. Chuck explained to everyone exactly what had happened since he found Hotch in the cabin, and then they all explained what had happened since the explosion at the safe house to Kahlan. She shook her head several times, but didn't really offer anything to the conversation. Chuck shared a look with Rossi, and he could tell he felt the same way. _What the hell is wrong with her?_

Once everyone was done eating, they all went to waiting room four to await the word on Hotch. Chuck and Rossi stayed out in the hall with the excuse that they were going to call Cam and make sure they really were the ones to change Hotch's information. Rossi was the first to speak. "Is she just really mad or something?"

"I have never seen her like this," Chuck told him as he ran a hand through his hair.

"She blames herself," Rossi told him.

"Yeah, ok, but why does she seem so detached? I would understand anger, but even guilt should make her more upset than what she is." He shook his head. "Could that shit he dosed her with have done something to her?"

"Not that I know of, but I don't really know a whole lot about it," Rossi told him as he took his phone out. "I guess it's a good thing we have a resident genius." He quickly called Reid and put his phone on speaker. Reid assured them that there were no lasting effects. Chuck asked about Kahlan apparently being able to resist it, and Reid said there were a few cases documented, but it was a rarity. Rossi went ahead and asked about the computer change and they could Garcia laughing.

"I thought Kahlan would like that. We wanted to make sure that little. . ." she took a deep breath. "We didn't want any trace of Hotch to show up."

"That was great thinking Kitten."

"Thanks to Puddin, we have fixed alerts on all of Damian's accounts. He won't be able to do anything without us knowing!" she told them proudly.

Chuck laughed. "Did you make sure to do the same for all of his aliases?"

"Really, Charles, you have to ask that?" came Cam's voice.

Chuck smiled again. "Hey, even you might miss something."

They heard him huff.

"Do you think he could still find Hotch?" JJ asked them.

"Don't worry. I've already called a few people in to be extra security here and with Donna and the kids," Chuck assured her.

"You all need to head home and get some rest," Rossi started. They all started to argue. "We're going to have to gather and figure out what to do next."

"Not until after we get an update on my liege!" Garcia insisted.

Rossi smiled. "Alright, we'll call as soon as we know something."

They ended the call and went back in to wait. Kahlan was sitting by herself with her head in her hands as her elbows rested on her knees. Rossi rubbed a hand down his face. _We've all been up way too long, maybe she's just really tired._


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter 69**

They were all waiting silently in Waiting Room Four. Chuck and Rossi kept sharing looks over the way Kahlan was acting, Morgan had his head leaned back against the wall and his eyes were closed, Mina was leaning on Morgan's shoulder, and Mack had her legs drawn up on the seat and rested her head on her knees. They all stood up as the door opened and in walked Dr. Newcome. He quickly surveyed the motley looking group. _Damn, they all look like they could use some sleep._ He shut the door behind him and fixed Kahlan with a look. "Your husband was a lucky man," he started and they all visibly relaxed. "First, though, I need to ask," he started again as he held up a little plastic container. "Exactly what kind of bullet is this?"

Kahlan stepped forward and took the container. She felt the heat of anger rise up her neck as she studied the copper fragments. She opened the container and dumped the pieces onto the little table along the wall. Chuck snorted in disgust as soon as he realized what it was. Kahlan shot him a look, and they all moved to watch her as she started picking up the pieces and putting them together. Within seconds, she had put all of them together like a 3-D puzzle. She held it up in and showed it to the doctor. Even though some of the pieces were a little distorted from their journey through Hotch, they could all see how they made the general shape of a regular bullet. She sighed heavily. "We call them shrapnel rounds. They have a fine layer of glue that holds them together and an armor piercing tip. The heat of the shot melts the glue enough that it explodes once it hits its target. The damage caused is like shrapnel from a bomb."

"Oh my God!" Rossi exclaimed as he looked at the bullet and shook his head in disgust.

"That son of a bitch!" Morgan yelled as he balled his hands into fists wishing he had a target to hit.

The doctor took the bullet and it fell apart in his fingers. "Jesus Christ! Are these on the streets?" They could all see the fear on his face and hear it in his voice.

"Not that I know of. As far as I know, they are only available from one place," Chuck told him as he shared another look with Kahlan.

Newcome shook his head again as he took a deep breath. "Then I would say Agent Hotchner is a _very_ lucky man.

Kahlan nodded. "We believe the shot came from a distance." _Thank God!_

Newcome nodded as he looked at the fragments again. He picked up the container and dumped them back into it. He looked at all of them again. "Two of the fragments hit his large intestines, one hit his stomach, one was found lodged into his lowest right rib; that's the one that penetrated his diaphragm,"

Kahlan nodded her understanding. She had deduced those injuries already.

Newcome licked his lips. "While all of those are serious enough, they were small holes that were repaired easily."

"Thank God!" Rossi breathed.

"His worse injury, though," Newcome started again and the smile that was starting to form on Rossi face halted. "One fragment tore through his abdominal aorta. That's what caused his drastic loss of blood, but that was repaired easily enough, too."

Kahlan felt her knees go weak in relief. Chuck sensed it and put an arm around her shoulders.

"As long as we stave off any infection from the cesspool that was created with everything leaking were it shouldn't, he should make a full recovery," Newcome finished and finally allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

"What kind of recovery time is he looking at?" Kahlan asked him quickly.

Chuck shot her a sideways look. He figured she wanted to know how much time she had to find Damian.

"I wouldn't think too long, maybe a week, maybe a little more. It depends on how fast of a healer he is."

"And did the other doctor come in?" she asked and Rossi shot her a look, but she chose to ignore it and continued looking at Newcome.

He smiled. "Yes. I'm sure you will be pleased with the results."

She finally smiled. "Thank you."

"When can we see him?" Rossi asked before the doctor could leave.

"He's still in the OR," he started with a look to Kahlan. "Once he's done, he'll have to go to recovery for about forty-five minutes. I will have a nurse page you once we know what room he will be in."

"Ahh," Chuck started. "He's listed as Mr. Dunmire in the computers."

The doctor looked at all of warily, but finally nodded his understanding and left.

Kahlan sat down roughly and ran a hand down her face. Rossi sat down beside her and put his arm around her. "He's going to be alright, Kiddo."

Kahlan nodded as she looked at him. Her eyes started to fill with tears and he pulled her to him. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried. "Let it out, Kiddo, let it out," he told her softly as he rubbed circles on her back.

Morgan told them he was going to update the group, and he and Mina stepped out of the room.

Chuck saw Mack tearing up, too, so he grabbed her in a hug.

XXX

After everyone calmed down, and Morgan had talked to the rest of the group, Rossi tried to get them all to go to a hotel. Kahlan flat out refused, and Chuck reminded him that he wasn't leaving her side. Rossi sighed and finally sent everyone else away. After about another hour, they finally got a page and they went to find out what room Hotch was in. Kahlan stopped before she opened the door and took a deep breath. She stood up straight and slowly opened the door. She had seen Hotch in the hospital before, and she was prepared for the monitors, wires, IV bags, and bandages. She wasn't prepared for how pale and still he was, and it made her heart skip a beat. If she didn't see his heart beating on the heart monitor, she would have thought he was dead. Rossi sensed her hesitation and urged her forward with a supportive hand on the small of her back.

She cleared her throat and stepped up to the bed. She bit her lip to stop it from trembling and put a loving hand on the side of his face. _God, Aaron, I am so sorry._ A tear escaped her eye as she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

Hotch's brows furrowed with her touch. Rossi went to the other side of the bed and grabbed his hand. "Yep, wake your lazy ass up."

Chuck laughed.

Hotch opened his eyes a slit and looked at Rossi. "Hey," he said weakly. Rossi smiled at him, and Hotch's eyes shot open all the way as a look of horror crossed his face. He looked around frantically but settled when he saw Kahlan.

"What?" Rossi asked him with concern.

He closed his eyes and relaxed back into the pillow.

"You ok?" Rossi asked him.

Hotch nodded and then looked at Kahlan. "Hey, Babe."

Kahlan looked at him warily. "I'm right here, Aaron," she assured him as she touched his arm.

He licked his lips and nodded. "I know," he told her and grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. He looked at Chuck and gave him a nod of thanks for staying with Kahlan. Chuck smiled.

"How do you feel?" Rossi asked him.

"Tired."

"Then go to sleep. We'll be here when you wake up," Rossi told him.

"You all need sleep, too." Even being under the effects of drugs he could tell none of them had slept.

Rossi chuckled. "Don't worry about us. You worry about resting and healing."

Hotch's eyes drooped a little as he looked back at Kahlan. "I love you."

She smiled. "Sleep, Aaron," she told him as stroked his hair. "I love you, too." _More than you will ever know._

He half nodded and his eyes shut completely.

Kahlan motioned away from the bed and Rossi followed her. "Go to the hotel. He'll be out of it for a while." Rossi opened his mouth to argue. "Even Aaron could see how tired you are."

Rossi finally nodded. He was at the end of his rope, and whatever adrenaline that was keeping him going was evaporating quickly with the realization that Hotch was truly going to be alright.

She turned to Chuck. "Take him so you can get some sleep, too."

Chuck took out his phone. "Tom can take him. I am not leaving you, Kay." He texted his buddy to come to the room. Several of his friends were in and around the hospital to keep an eye out for Damian.

"Chuck," Kahlan started.

"I promised him," Chuck stressed quietly.

Kahlan sighed and finally nodded. She gave Rossi a hug. "I'll call you as soon as he's ready for visitors."

"Try to rest while he's resting. You need to take care of yourself, too, Kiddo."

"I will," she told him and then went to the chair beside Hotch's bed.

Chuck walked out into the hall with Rossi. Tom was already waiting for them. Rossi smiled at the big man and turned to Chuck. "Make sure she gets some sleep."

Chuck huffed. "I'll try," he told him with a grin.

"You, too. We got this, so you guys can relax," Tom told him.

"I know," Chuck told him and clapped him on the back and shoved him down the hall.

He watched them walk away and went in to join Kahlan.

About twenty minutes later, Hotch woke up and looked around. "Kahlan?" he called out weakly.

Kahlan stood up and went to him quickly and grabbed his hand. "What's wrong?" She noticed his heart rate and blood pressure increased.

He took a deep breath and smiled weakly. "I'm fine."

She watched his numbers slowly come back down. "You need to rest."

He nodded and closed his eyes again. When she felt his hand relax, she sat back down and rubbed a hand down her face. She had just dozed off when she heard him call out. She looked over at Chuck. His head was leaned back up against the wall and she knew he was asleep. She sighed heavily and tried to relax again.

About thirty minutes later, Hotch opened his eyes again and looked around frantically. As soon as he saw Kahlan, he relaxed and let his head fall back onto the pillow.

"Alright! Enough!" Kahlan told him as she stood up and got closer to him.

"What?" he asked weakly.

"Stop forcing yourself to wake up and check to see that I'm still here. Damn, Aaron, I have never broken a promise and I don't intend to start now!"

He shook his head.

"I'm not going to leave you while you're in this hospital! Please don't tell me you actually think I would." She stroked his hair as she looked into his eyes.

"It's not that," he tried to explain.

"Then why do you keep forcing yourself to wake up. You need to rest," she told him tenderly.

"I'm scared," he admitted as he turned away from her.

Her heart sank. Hotch normally wasn't afraid of anything, and it made her heart hurt to hear him say that again. "The doctor said you're going to be fine, Aaron," she tried to assure him as she caressed his cheek.

"Not for me," he started and then swallowed hard.

"Then what?" she asked as she moved his chin to make him look at her.

"That he'll get you."

His voice was so small and weak that Kahlan felt the sting of tears in the back of her eyes. "I'm fine, Aaron. Don't worry about me. You need to rest."

He looked around the room. "Where's Chuck or Cam? They promised. . ."

"Chuck's right over there," she told as she pointed to the far corner and the sleeping Chuck.

"They have to protect you since I can't."

She didn't want to argue the fact that she could protect herself, not when she knew how much he hated the fact that he wasn't able to be her protector at that point in time. "There are plenty of people here to protect me, Aaron. There is extra security set up." She didn't point out that that security was to protect Hotch, either. "Chuck has some of his buddies here keeping an eye on things. I will be fine." She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Please stop worrying."

Hid lids drooped, and she knew he was extremely tired. "K," is all he said and his eyes closed completely.

She sighed and hoped that she allayed his fears enough to allow him to actually rest. She scooted the chair closer to his bed and laid her arm across his legs, hoping the connection would provide him with physical proof that she was there, and allow him to rest even more. _I'll get you healed up, take care of Damian, and get you home safe, and then you won't have to worry yourself about me anymore, Aaron. I promise._ A tear fell down onto his leg. She watched it get soaked into the blanket and wished her problems could be absorbed so easily.


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter 70**

Kahlan awoke to a nurse coming in the door. She noticed the sun was shining in the window and she realized she had fallen asleep laying on Hotch's legs. She sat up and stretched out her back.

"I didn't mean to wake you," the nurse whispered with a smile. "I'm just checking Mr. Dunmire."

"It's fine," Kahlan told her as she scooted the chair back and looked at her watch. Hotch hadn't woke up again, and he looked to be resting peacefully.

"I'll get a cup of ice in case he wakes up and is thirsty. He can't have anything to drink yet, but the ice should help his thirst."

Kahlan nodded and gave her a smile of thanks as she left. She looked at Chuck. He had stretched out on the floor with his hands behind his head. He smiled. "You want some coffee?" he asked quietly without opening his eyes.

She sighed. "I'll go get it. I need to stretch my legs," she told him as she stood up. He jumped up to join her. "Stay here and watch him."

"Why, so he can get pissed if he wakes up and sees that you're not here and I am? Face it, Kay, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

She shook her head. "I don't want him left alone."

"Tom's right outside the door. He won't let anything happen to him."

"Then Tom can go with me. . ."

"Kay, please. I made a promise."

She shook her head; she knew Chuck could be just as stubborn as she could. "Then let's go and hurry before he wakes up."

Chuck smiled and opened the door for her. "You need to eat something, too." He looked at Tom. "Go in there in case he wakes up. Tell him will be right back. We're just running to the cafeteria."

"Take your time. No one will get in there," he told them with a smile.

XXX

Hotch tried to swallow as he woke up, but he mouth was too dry.

"Here," Kahlan told him as she stood up and grabbed the cup of ice. "You can't have any water yet, but you can suck on ice."

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and smiled at her. "Hey, Babe."

She spooned ice into his mouth. "How are you feeling?"

He nodded as he chewed the ice and looked around the room. He chuckled at the balloons and flowers. "Garcia was here?"

Kahlan laughed. "No, but she's the one behind it." She went to give him another spoon, but he reached up and took the cup from her.

"I'm not helpless," he told her and shook the cup to get some of the crushed ice into his mouth. The whole chunk came at once and ice spilled out all over him.

"You were saying?" Kahlan told him sarcastically as she started picking up the ice.

He shook his head in embarrassment as he tried to help clean it up. He sucked his breath in as some of the ice made its way down the front of his hospital gown. "That's cold," he confessed sheepishly.

She laughed at him and picked up the rest of the ice. "I'm glad you finally let yourself sleep."

He looked at the window. "What time is it?"

She looked at her watch. "A little after eight."

"Where's Dave?"

"Hopefully still asleep. He didn't leave here until after three."

Hotch nodded and saw Chuck lying on the floor. "He asleep?"

Kahlan looked over. "Yeah. He finally conked out about an hour ago. He was up keeping guard all night. You need to release him from his promise, Aaron."

Hotch furrowed his brows. "Where's Cam?"

"He went back home from the mountain."

"Home? Where are we?"

"Charleston, WV. He has several of his buddies here, but he thinks he has to be the one with me twenty-four/seven because of his promise to you. He needs to be able to get some rest, too."

Hotch nodded. "Sorry. I was just worried. . ."

"Stop worrying," she told him a little more harshly than she meant to.

He looked at her strangely. "I can't help it; I love you too much not to worry."

She shook her head and sat down.

"Babe?" he asked her as he reached out for her.

She was about to say something when the doctor walked in. She stood up and Dr. Newcome smiled at them. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Hotch nodded. "Alright, I guess."

The doctor went up to him and moved his bed into a flat position. "I want to check your incisions."

Hotch nodded and looked toward the wall. He didn't want to see what he knew would be another horrible reminder of his inability to protect himself.

"How's the pain?" Newcome asked as he pulled down the cover and lifted Hotch's gown. They hadn't covered any of his incisions because they wanted to keep a close watch for infection.

"Fine."

"What hurts the most?"

"My side where the tube was put in," Hotch told him truthfully.

Kahlan noticed Chuck wince.

"For being done it the field, I have to say it looked better than some of those I've seen done in the ER," Newcome told him.

Chuck then smiled and so did Kahlan.

Newcome pressed on Hotch's lower abdomen gently as he felt around. "What about here?"

Hotch tried unsuccessfully to hide a wince. "It's fine."

Newcome shook his head. "Uh-huh. How about here?" he asked as he pressed closer to his ribs.

Hotch shook his head. "Fine."

Newcome smiled as he put the gown back in place and adjusted Hotch's bed so his head was higher than the rest of him. Hotch finally looked at him again. "We'll let you try some water, and if that doesn't bother you maybe tonight I'll let them give you some food."

Hotch nodded as his stomach growled. Newcome laughed. "It'll have to be soft foods for day or so, though."

Hotch didn't try to hide his disappointment. "Anything's better than ice," he told him as he shot a look to his wife.

XXX

By ten, Rossi and everyone had come up to the hospital. "He's out of it. The doctor increased his pain meds, and he's been asleep ever since," Kahlan told them as she looked back toward Hotch's room. The door was open so they could see him. "He said that he'll keep it up for a day or so, so he can rest and heal."

"I can't imagine the pain he's in," Mack said softly as she looked at her boss.

"He, of course, tried to convince the doctor he wasn't in any, but the doctor caught on," Chuck told them with a smile.

Rossi smiled. "Yeah, he's always fine."

Morgan nodded his agreement.

"I called Cam, and he said they were all supposed to meet back up this morning," Kahlan told them.

"I really don't think we all need to stay here," Rossi started. "We need to get home and see about finding that bastard."

Kahlan nodded. "I was thinking about having him transferred closer to home, but I think he might be safer here."

"I'd leave him here if it were my decision," Morgan told her.

Rossi put his arm around Kahlan. "You do what you feel is best, Kiddo."

She huffed. "I want your all's input." Rossi shared a quick look with Chuck.

"I'd leave him here, too, but I really don't want to leave without telling him goodbye," Mack told them. Rossi was the only one besides Kahlan and Chuck to see him awake so far.

"Of course. Let's go see if we can roust him," Rossi said and headed to the room with a grin. Chuck laughed and they all followed him. "He can go back to sleep as soon as we leave," Rossi assured Kahlan. She nodded.

**XXXXX**

A little after noon, Sam and the rest of the squad walked into the BAU conference room. Will and JJ stood up quickly.

"Sam told us about Damian and everything," Jules started. "And we want to help."

"We also understand that you all may have some reserves about us," Bee started. "And we will submit to any form of questioning or anything to prove our innocence."

Cam stood up, walked around the table, and joined JJ and Will. He was the most qualified to do any questioning, and he was the only one there who could physically handle them. "We've done some checking on you all," he started as everyone else joined him in the standoff. He mentally smiled to see Hotch's team standing so valiantly against obviously more dangerous opponents. "And while we haven't found anything that shows you have helped Damian, I'm not sure these wonderful people will actually want your help."

"Cam, please," Sai started and then took a deep breath. "Please let us help you and try to take away the shame Damian has brought upon us," he pleaded.

Cam looked at JJ. JJ looked at Reid. "I would think that decision should be left up to Kahlan," Reid suggested as he studied the people in front of him.

"Where is she? We will go talk to her now," Jules told them.

Cam looked at Sam and realized he hadn't told them where Hotch had been taken. He liked him a little more. "I will discuss it with her, and if she decides that you all are worth using, I will let you know."

Jules nodded. "I understand. Just know that while none of us really know him. . ."

"Obviously," JJ injected sarcastically.

"We still know him better than anyone else," Jules finished.

"And while you may not want our help, we will go after him no matter what. We would just prefer to do it in conjunction with you all," Sai admitted with a look to Cam.

Cam smiled. He knew they were all clean, and he had expected them to want to take care of Damian; he was impressed, though, that they were trying to work with Hotch's team. The squad understood the need for Hotch's team to help find the man that had hurt their leader. "I will let you know later today," Cam told them.

Sam nodded and they all left. Garcia gave Cam a squeeze. "You think they'll find him before us?"

"You could see the determination in their faces," Reid pointed out as they watched them cross the bullpen.

"That wasn't just determination, they were pissed," Will told them with a laugh and went back to the table.

Cam nodded and went back to his laptop. "So? What do you want to do?" Cam asked Kahlan.

She laughed; they had been video conferencing with her and Chuck.

"I say let them at it," Morgan suggested from the phone lying on the table. They had also been in on the conversation from Morgan's SUV on their way back to Quantico.

"Yeah, they might actually be able to find him pretty quick," Rossi pointed out.

"It might help them sooth the blow to their pride, too," Chuck told her with a smile.

Kahlan studied the group in the screen. "You all feel you can trust them?" After all of the checking Cam and Garcia had done, she trusted the squad; but she wanted to make sure they would feel comfortable with them helping.

They all looked at each other. "Morgan?" JJ asked the phone.

Morgan looked at Rossi. "Rossi?"

He sighed deeply. "Why not?"

Most of them smiled. "Tell my liege that we wish him a speedy recovery," Garcia told them with a smile.

Kahlan smiled. "I will."

"You did make it to the gift shop, right?" Garcia asked Morgan.

Morgan shook his head, and Mina smiled. "Yes, Pen. I went as soon as you asked last night."

"We couldn't have Hotch waking up to a dreary room!" Garcia told them all with a big smile.

They all laughed.

XXX

Later that afternoon Chuck was playing a game on his phone and he noticed Kahlan wipe her face. He put his phone away and went and sat down on the floor beside her chair. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly not wanting to disturb Hotch.

"Nothing."

He huffed. "You really think you can use that on me?" He studied her face. "Seriously, what are you thinking about? I don't like the way you've been acting."

She took a deep breath and looked at her sleeping husband. "I'm just tired of always causing him pain and misery."

He furrowed his brows. "This is not your fault, Kay."

She huffed. "How is it not my fault?" she asked him as she got up and went out into the hall.

He got up and followed her. "Kay! Damian did this, not you," he told her as he grabbed her arm and turned her to him.

"And if Damian wasn't after me, then Aaron would have been fine."

"So you're blaming yourself because some psycho decided he wanted you and then decided to try and kill your husband?"

"I should have seen the lengths Damian would go. . ."

"So it's my fault, too, then, because I didn't stop him. . ."

"NO! God, Chuck, you've saved him every time he's turned around. Hell, if it wasn't for that dragon skin slowing that bullet down, he would have died from massive internal wounds. If it wasn't for you inserting that damn tube, he would have suffocated."

Chuck shook his head in anger. "You can't blame yourself for Damian liking you. He also wants to kill Hotch because of Mordecai."

"And that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me. I've caused him so much pain this last year. . ."

"Stop it! What the hell is wrong with you? He doesn't blame you for any of it."

She looked back towards Hotch's door. "He should," she said quietly.

Chuck's heart was hurting; he'd only seen her succumb to guilt one other time, and it had almost destroyed her, but he had the feeling she was headed down that road again. "No he shouldn't. Damian is to blame now as much as Mordecai was to blame then. It's not your fault that family's a bunch of psychopaths."

"He'd be better off without me."

_Oh God, no! _"No, Kay! He would die without you!"

She shook her head. "He'll probably die with me. I have put his life in danger too many times."

His heart sank. Her tone and face told him that she truly believed what she was saying. "Kay, please. You can't leave him now. . ."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

His brows furrowed again. _What the hell are you saying, then? _"Kay, please. I know you're tired and scared. Please don't make any decisions. . ."

She patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Chuck."

_Son of a bitch!_ "What about the kids, Kay? If you leave him then you leave the kids. . ."

"I've even put them in danger now, too," she told him as her eyes teared up. "That bastard went to my sister's house because of me!" she yelled as tears feel down her cheeks. "I can't see them because Donna has to keep them hidden so he won't find them! A real great mother I am!"

Chuck pulled her into a strong hug. "We'll get him and then everything will be ok. Everything will go back to normal."

"They'd all be safer without me," she cried into his shoulder.

"No, Kay! They all need you and love you. It would destroy them if you weren't there." A tear escaped his eye in fear that he wouldn't be able to change her mind. "We all need you!" He held her out to look her in the face. "You've seen how scared he's been just waking up and not seeing you instantly. What do you think leaving him would do to him?" With as protective as she was, he was afraid she would believe they were safer without her.

"He was afraid Damian got me. Once Damian is caught, he'll be able to stop worrying about me."

"I know you love him!"

"So much it hurts," she admitted and pulled away from him.

_No, God!_ "Kay, please. . ."

"Just stop, Chuck," she told him, wiped her face, and then went back into the room.

He sighed heavily. _What am I going to have to do to convince you?_


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter 71**

Later that evening, Hotch awoke to find Chuck sitting in a chair by the door with a laptop in his hands and Kahlan nowhere to be seen. He started to panic. "Where's Kahlan?"

Chuck looked up at him. "Calm down, she's just in the john," he told him as he pointed to the restroom door with a smile.

Hotch heard the water running and relaxed. "As long as you have someone here to keep an eye out for Damian, you don't have to stay with her. She wants you to go to a hotel and get some sleep."

Chuck shook his head. "She's just as stubborn as you," Chuck told him as he stood up and went up to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll live. Thanks to you, again."

Chuck smiled, and Hotch knew the smile was genuine, brotherly love, but he also knew Chuck would give him shit about later. _Just like a real brother._ Kahlan came out of the bathroom as she dried her hands. She went up to him quickly when she saw Hotch awake. "How are you doing?"

Hotch took a deep breath. "I feel a little out of it," he told her truthfully.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "You hungry?"

He thought about it for a second. "I guess."

"I'll go tell the nurse," she told him as she patted his leg and then turned to the door.

Chuck jumped ahead of her. "I'll go," he told her with a smile and went out the door before she could argue.

She sighed and turned back to Hotch. She sat down in the chair. "The squad is helping; they are hunting Damian."

He nodded. If they were helping, then he figured they had already checked them out. "Good, maybe they'll find him before he can do anything else."

Kahlan nodded her agreement, but didn't say anything else.

"What time is it?"

She looked at her watch. "Almost nine." She looked at him and his eyes were drooping again. She smiled sadly because she knew he couldn't handle the pain medication.

His eyes opened back up all the way when Chuck came back in with two containers in his hand. Hotch eyed them warily. "Baby food?"

Chuck laughed. "Nah, it's manly applesauce." Hotch shook his head. "The nurse is going to bring you in some soup and jello, too."

"Yay," he told him sarcastically as he reached for one of the apple sauces. Chuck handed him a spoon and then peeled the lid back to open it and handed it to him.

"Try not to spill that allover yourself," Kahlan joked.

He handed it out to her. "Want some?"

She shook her head. "No thank you. I've already eaten."

Chuck shot her a look and she silenced him with one of her own.

Hotch looked back and forth between them, but he was too tired and too drugged to figure out what they weren't talking about. After he stirred the applesauce, he put the spoon on the table and just drank it down.

XXX

The next day, Hotch awoke and sat up in his bed a little bit more. It was already bright in the room, but he had no idea what time it was. He did feel a little more alert, so he figured they had reduced the pain meds, and he only felt a dull ache in his gut, so he didn't mind. He noticed Kahlan sitting in the chair with her head turned toward the wall, but he could tell she wasn't actually seeing anything. Her eyes were unfocused and it bothered him that he had woken and she didn't realize it. Normally she knew he was going to do something even before he knew sometimes. "Kahlan?" She didn't move, and he got an uneasy feeling that he knew had nothing to do with his injuries. "Kahlan?" he said a little louder.

Her head snapped to him. "Oh shit, I'm sorry. What did you need?"

He squinted his eyes at her. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing. What did you need?"

"Nothing. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, why would you ask?"

"You seem a little distant."

She took a deep breath. "Sorry."

"Come here," he told her as he held his arm out.

"What?" she asked as she stood up and moved closer to him.

"Sit with me," he told her with a smile that showed his dimples. When she didn't return the smile, he got even more worried because he knew his dimples were normally her weakness. She sat down on the edge of the bed carefully, and he studied her face. She had a sadness in her eyes that scared him. There were also circles under her eyes that he knew came from her not resting being there with him. "Why don't you go get a room so you can actually rest?"

She smiled as she patted his leg. "I'm fine."

"But you could relax in a long hot bath and then get some real sleep."

"No. I'm not leaving you, Aaron, not yet."

_Did I just hear a slight change of tone on the 'not yet'?_ He shook his head. He knew he wasn't at the top of his game, so he wasn't sure if he heard it or not. "You need to take care of yourself."

"I am, Aaron. You're the one who needs to rest and heal."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Chuck brought me a sandwich about an hour ago," she lied.

He looked at the trash can next to his bed; it was empty, but he wasn't sure if there was another one in the room or not. "I can't wait to get home and you fix a roast," he told her with another smile.

"We'll get you home soon, and then everything will be the way it should to be."

_She didn't return that smile either. What the hell is wrong, Babe?_ "It'll be nice to finally be back in our bed," he told her as he pulled her to him.

She pulled away from him before he could hug her completely. "Be careful, Aaron. You don't need to pull your stitches," she told him as she stood up.

He sighed heavily. "I'm fine, Babe."

She sat back down in the chair. "You need to finish healing."

Before he could say anything else, the door opened to reveal the other half of the group that hadn't had a chance to see him. When Garcia saw Hotch awake, she got a big smile on her face. "How you feeling, Boss Man?" she asked as she walked up to him with a massive floppy stuffed animal in her hands.

Hotch nodded. "Not bad."

Kahlan got up to allow all of them in close to Hotch. She stepped out into the hallway and found Rossi staring at her. She winced and immediately knew Chuck had called him. _Damn you, Charles!_ "What are you doing here?" she asked innocently as she started to pass him in the hall. Hamp, one of Chuck's buddies, quickly fell into step behind her leaving Bill to stand guard on the room alone.

"Where are you headed?" Rossi asked as he stepped up beside her.

"To get a drink."

"Cool. Maybe we can find a nice secluded corner to talk," Rossi told her with a smile.

She shook her head. "There's nothing we need to talk about, Dave."

"That's not what I hear." He studied her as they walked. He noticed dark circles under her eyes and she was a little paler than normal, and he knew she hadn't been taking care of herself. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Don't worry about me, Dave. I'm not the one in the hospital."

"Chuck finally go to the hotel?"

"Yes, after I threatened to knock his ass out so Tom could carry him there over his shoulder."

Rossi laughed. He silently wondered if Cam would be able to it to her. "Have you talked to the kids?"

"I video chatted with them last night and called them this morning."

"Do they know about Aaron?"

She pushed the door open to the cafeteria and went up to the cooler and got a bottle of Coke. Rossi got a coffee and paid for them both. "Come on," he told her as he grabbed her arm and led her to the table in the farthest corner. She sighed and sat down. Hamp sat down at a table closet to the door, but where he could still see Kahlan easily.

"I told them he was shot, but I didn't tell them how badly. I also explained that we were out of state and that's why they couldn't come up to see him. I assured them that he was going to be fine, and that he would probably call them tonight."

"How did they take it?"

"They were worried, but they believed me when I told him he was on the road to recovering."

Rossi nodded. "Now what's this I hear about you having an overabundance of guilt over this whole thing?"

She studied him and then looked at the bottle in her hand. _Chuck wouldn't have told him about that, but he must be worried that the same thing will happen._ She shook her head. _Maybe he's right._ She sighed heavily.

Rossi watched her. All of the nonverbals told him that Chuck's fears were correct. "Kahlan." She didn't look at him. He reached over and moved her chin so she had to look at him. "Talk to me, Kiddo."

"There's nothing to talk about, Dave," she told him and pulled away from his hand.

"Chuck seems to think you have it in your head that you think Aaron would be better off without you."

She huffed and opened her Coke. She took a long drink and sat it down on the table. "He would be."

He reached out and put a hand on hers. "Why would you ever think that?"

"Because I can't seem to stop hurting him," she told him as her eyes watered.

"You haven't hurt him, Kahlan; Damian has."

"But it's my fault."

Tears fell down her cheeks and crashed onto the tabletop. He squeezed her hand. "We all had a little discussion about that this morning. Seems we all have guilt for not realizing that it was Damian and not stopping him before this happened."

She shook her head. "But it all narrows down to me." He was about to argue and she pulled her hand away from him. "If I hadn't gone after Demitri, there wouldn't have been a file for Damian to read. If I had told Aaron how Damian felt, he would have stopped him before he had a chance to read the file. If I hadn't done God knows what while Damian had me, he wouldn't have been able to follow me back to Aaron. He wouldn't have been shot!"

"But I'm the one would actually killed Mordecai. It's my fault. Damian should have come after me."

"No, Dave! You did that to protect Aaron. . ."

"Oh, you mean like you went after Mordecai to protect him?"

She opened her mouth to say something but stopped.

"Guilt aside, Kiddo, it would kill him if you leave him. He almost didn't make it through when Mordecai had you. How do you think he'll accept you leaving?"

"He was just worried about me. If I leave on my own, he'll have no reason to worry."

"Oh, so sort of like if you'd die?" He shook his head. "He couldn't handle you being so close to death. . ."

"Again, he was worried about me. That was my own doing, too. I can't seem to not make him worry. I put him in pain just as easily as that damn slug did!"

"So because these last few months have been rough, you're gonna run?" He sat back in his chair. "I never realized you were a quitter." He shook his head at her. "I thought the vows said for better and worse?"

"It's not running away or quitting if I do it for his own good."

"My ass, Kahlan!" he couldn't contain his anger any longer. She was just being stupid. "You can't handle a little pressure and you're running. Don't put this off on him. You're the one who can't handle it!" She sat up a little straighter, and he knew he had pissed her off. _Good! Now maybe we'll get somewhere._ "He risks his life day in and day out with his job, but have you ever told him he had to quit it to help protect him from that danger? No."

"He loves his job. I would never ask him to do that."

"What if one of the boys gets a broken arm from playing football, are you going to make him quit that to protect him?"

"What? No!"

"Joey loves climbing that tree. Are you going to make her stop because she might fall out of it and get hurt?"

"I would never make any of them give up something they love."

"But he loves you, too, Kiddo, and you're going to ask him to give you up?"

That made her pause.

He reached out and took her hand in his. "That damn song he sent you while you were in the hospital, the one about life killing him if he didn't have you, that was the perfect song, Kahlan. I truly think he wouldn't survive without you." Her eyes watered again. "I haven't seen him happier than what he has been with you."

She shook her head. "He was happy with Haley. . ."

"Maybe in the beginning, but their marriage didn't last. She made him choose between his job and her. She did the one thing you would never do, and it cost them. Even still, though, he was never connected to Haley like he is with you. While I don't have any doubts that he loved Haley as much as he could, that was nothing compared to the love you two have, Kahlan. Most people spend their whole lives dreaming about finding that special person. You two have. You are soul mates," he told her as he squeezed her hand. "He would die without you." She swallowed hard as tears fell down her cheeks again. Rossi reached up and put his hands on her face and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. "Are you truly willing to kill him?" He locked eyes with her. "Because if you leave, you might as well pull out that pistol at your ankle and shoot him in the head." A look of horror crossed her face. "At least that would be quick and merciful."

"I could never. . ." she broke down and started bawling. He moved and pulled her into him. She cried into his chest, and he held her tightly and rubbed circles on her back. "He is going to be fine, we will find Damian, he will pay for what he has done, and you two will go on loving each other like no one else can." He pushed her away from him and looked her in the eyes. "Your family is too perfect to break up, Kiddo." She nodded weakly and he held her again.


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter 72**

After Kahlan got herself calmed down, she went to the restroom to clean herself up, and Rossi waited for her. She came out and no one would be able to tell she had had a breakdown minutes before. She pulled him into a hug. "Thanks, Dave. I don't know what we'd do without you." She pulled back from him with a smile on her face.

"No problem, Kiddo. To tell you the truth, I don't think I could handle you leaving either," he told her with a grin.

She put her hand in his elbow and they walked back to Hotch together.

Hamp walked behind them and had a smile on his face, too.

"How did you know I had a pistol on me?" Kahlan asked quietly.

Rossi grinned knowingly. "You got a knife in your belt, too."

She shook her head as they walked. "Bet you don't know about everything else I have," she told him with sly grin. He shook his head as he smiled some more.

They joined the rest of the group visiting Hotch, and Kahlan laughed as she took in a stuffed wolf sitting on the bed beside Hotch. "Oh my God! It has your stare," she said as she picked it up and looked at it. While it wasn't snarling, the hooded eyes definitely gave it a serious look on its face. Hotch rolled his eyes.

"It does, doesn't it? I was thinking a bear or a dog, but when I saw it, I just knew it was Hotch!" Garcia told her with a grin.

Kahlan sat down next to her husband and held the wolf in her lap. Hotch smiled at her as he took her hand in his, and she smiled back. He finally felt like he could breathe a little easier. He looked at Dave and gave him a slight nod of thanks. Dave just grinned and listened to JJ and Will telling Hotch about the latest escapades of the twins and how Henry was turning into a great big brother.

XXX

Once everyone was gone, Hotch took a nap. Later that evening, Hotch enjoyed a dinner of mashed potatoes and gravy, and while it wasn't meat, it was still manlier than liquids so he didn't feel like a two year eating it. As soon as he was done, Dr. Newcome came in to see him. "How are you feeling tonight?"

Hotch nodded. "Better."

"Good," Newcome told him with a smile as he put Hotch's bed down. He moved the blanket and pulled up the gown. He felt around on his lower abdomen first. "Any pain?"

"A little tender, but not bad."

He moved his exam up keeping a close watch on Hotch's face which was faced toward the wall again. Kahlan shook her head because she knew why he didn't want to see himself. "Here?" Newcome asked.

Hotch shook his head. "There's fine."

The doctor then moved to check Hotch's side. He smiled because he didn't show any signs of infection. "How's the ribs?"

"Still sore there on the left, but the right hurts a little, too," Hotch told and his tone conveyed his confusion over it.

Newcome replaced the gown and blanket and adjusted the bed. "One of the bullet fragments hit your right rib. It didn't fracture or anything but it's bound to be sore," he explained as Hotch finally turned to look at him. "How's the stomach feeling?"

Hotch scooted a little to sit up more comfortably. "Fine. It wants real food," Hotch told him with a small smile. Kahlan laughed.

The doctor smiled. "If you make it through the night without any problems, we'll see about getting you up and moving around tomorrow." Hotch nodded his agreement. "And then maybe some real food." That brought another smile to Hotch's face, and the doctor chuckled. He could tell Hotch didn't like being stuck in the hospital. "But you're going to have to take it easy. Just because I'll let you up doesn't mean you're ready to be released." Hotch sunk into the bed a little. "We need to make sure all of those repairs are going to hold."

Hotch sighed and nodded.

"But he's coming along nicely, right?" Kahlan asked him as she went up and took Hotch's hand.

"Very nicely, and if he continues he might just be out of here in a few days."

Kahlan squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Dr. Newcome."

He smiled at them. "I'll be by in the morning. Try to get some rest tonight," he told Hotch and then turned to Kahlan. "You, too! It won't do him any good to get better just for you to get sick! The nurses tell me you haven't been eating. What are you trying to do, make yourself as weak as your husband?"

Hotch looked at her, and she looked at the doctor defiantly. "I've ate," she insisted.

"Yeah? What did you eat for dinner tonight?" Kahlan looked at the floor; she knew she couldn't lie because she had no idea what the cafeteria had served, and she figured the doctor knew. The doctor walked over and put a hand on her arm. "Your husband is going to be fine. You need to take care of yourself."

She sighed and nodded. "Yes, sir."

He patted Hotch on the leg as he smiled. "If she doesn't eat, you're not allowed to, either," he joked and left.

Hotch shook his head at her, and she hung her head. "Kahlan Lavonne Hotchner," he started and she hung her head a little more as she pulled away from him. He huffed and grabbed his phone.

"What are you doing?" she asked quickly.

"Calling for back up," he told her simply as he held the phone to his ear. "Hey, Chuck. You get any rest?" Kahlan tried to get the phone away from him but he half rolled over to hide it. She tried to pull his arm out from under him to get to the phone. "Don't. You'll hurt me," he told her quickly. She finally gave up because she didn't want him to pull his stitches. She sat down in the chair roughly knowing she was beat.

"What the hell, Hotch?" Chuck asked quickly.

"Not you Chuck. I was talking to your stubborn damn sister!"

"Why? What is she doing?" Chuck asked desperately.

"Being an idiot. I want you to come and get her, take her somewhere to eat, and then take her to the hotel so she can actually get some sleep tonight."

"Oh," Chuck started and finally relaxed. "I'm on my way," he added with a chuckle. He knew if anyone could make her take care of herself it was Hotch.

"Thanks, Chuck. See you in a bit," Hotch told him and finally sat back up. He looked at Kahlan with a big grin.

Kahlan gave him a dirty look. "And you say I'm a brat."

He stuck is tongue out at her. "If you won't take care of yourself, then we have to do it."

"But I promised you I would stay with you," she told him as she finally got up and sat down beside him.

"I wanted you to promise so you wouldn't leave to go after Damian, not to stay here and not take care of yourself, Babe," he told her as he put an arm around her. "There are plenty of people here to guard me. You can go and relax. You need to eat and get some real sleep," he told her seriously.

"Ok, Hun. You win."

His dimples shown with his smile. "Yep." She sighed deeply, and he noticed tears in her eyes. "What?" She shook her head and wiped away an errant tear. He put his arm around her. "What's wrong, Babe?" He didn't think she'd be that upset over him wanting her to take care of herself.

She looked him the eyes and the tears spilled over. "I'm so sorry, Aaron," she sobbed.

"Why? What happened?" he asked her desperately.

"All of this is my fault. . ."

"What!?" he asked as he turned and put his hands on her arms. "None of this is your fault, Kahlan!"

She nodded. "Yes it is. If I hadn't. . ."

"Stop it right now! Damian is the one to blame and no one else!"

"But if I hadn't. . ."

"Kahlan!"

"You wouldn't have been shot if I hadn't. . ."

"Hadn't what? If you hadn't gotten away from him, God knows what he would have done to you! You didn't know he was going to shoot me!"

"But. . ."

"But nothing! Damn it, Kahlan! You always yell at me for trying to shoulder blame that isn't mine, but you're doing the same damn thing!"

"But I feel like you wouldn't have been hurt if it wasn't for me."

"I'd be dead if it wasn't for you!"

She furrowed her brows. "What?"

"If you hadn't insisted on being with me in that damn house, I would have woken up in that damn cabin alone, and at his mercy. He would have killed me, but only after doing God knows what to me first!" A tear fell down his cheek. "You got us out of that damn room. Your rings led the guys to us! You saved me!" She studied his face and realized he truly felt that way. He pulled her to him tightly. "This is not your fault, Babe. If anyone should be saying anything, I should be saying 'thank you.'"

She pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes. "You don't need to thank me; you just need to forgive me and love me."

He smiled. "There's nothing to forgive, Kahlan, and loving you is the easiest thing in the world to do." He took a deep breath. "I love you, Kahlan Hotchner."

She smiled. "I love you, Aaron Hotchner," she told him tenderly and pulled him into a hug.

After a few moments he pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes. "No more guilt. No blame. Just love."

"Deal," she told him and leaned over and kissed him.

They stayed in each other's arms for a few minutes. Finally he looked at her and she could see he had gotten serious. "If they're going to let me up tomorrow. . ."

"I'll bring you some clothes," she assured him with a chuckle.

"Hopefully they let me take a shower," he started as he scratched a spot on his lower right chest. He didn't understand why his scars were itching, but all of them were.

Kahlan hid a smile. "Do you want anything else?"

He smiled. "Think you could sneak me in a coffee?" They had already told him no caffeine until he was up and going to the bathroom on his own.

"Sure," she started with a smile. "But I claim deniable plausibility if you get caught with it."

He laughed. "I tell them I bribed an orderly."

She shook her head as she laughed.

XXX

Once Chuck got there, Hotch insisted that Chuck had to be with her so they had Tom guard from the inside Hotch's room, Max and Spike right outside his door, and four others in and around the hospital. Once she made sure everything was covered she felt assured enough for Hotch's safety to actually leave. They kissed goodbye and as soon as they left, Hotch called the kids and then settled down to go to sleep. Knowing he was safe didn't really matter to him, but knowing Kahlan and the kids were safe let him sleep peacefully. Knowing he'd actually be able to get up the next day gave him something to look forward to, too.

Chuck took Kahlan to a restaurant and made her eat everything on her plate by threatening to call Hotch and telling on her. She finally got everything down, and they went to the hotel. Chuck had gotten her own room beside his and hugged her goodnight. She sighed as she gave herself a long look in the mirror; the whole thing had taken a toll on her, but she smiled as she could finally see some of the whites in her eyes. The blood that was left in them had turned a little blackish brown, and she laughed at how odd it looked. She undressed and got into a hot bubble bath. She sighed as she let the water relax her tired muscles. The chair she had been dosing off and on in wasn't the best for sleeping, and she was a little sore. She let her mind rest, too, as she listened to the little bubbles popping around her.

Kahlan woke up slowly and realized she was cold. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and realized she had fallen asleep in the tub. _Jesus Christ! It's a good thing you didn't drown yourself, you idiot._ She shook her head and let the water out. She shivered and decided she better take a shower to warm back up. Afterwards she climbed into bed, warm and tired; she drifted off thinking about her husband.


	73. Chapter 73

**Chapter 73**

Kahlan opened her eyes and smiled as Chuck came into the room. "It's about time you woke up," Chuck told her as he walked up and gave her a cup of coffee.

She sat up and put the coffee on the nightstand and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She looked at her watch and jumped up. "What the hell? Why didn't you wake me up? It's already after eleven!"

"Damn, calm down, Kay. Apparently you needed it." She grabbed her phone. "And just chill. I've already talked with him this morning. He said to let you sleep as long as you wanted."

She finally relaxed. "So he's ok?"

Chuck smiled. "Yes, Kay, and we all know you needed it."

She sat back down and took a drink of the coffee. "Thanks, Chuck."

He sat down next to her. "It's good to see you in a better mood."

She smiled. "Yeah. Thanks for calling Dave."

He smiled again. "If I couldn't fix it, I knew Dave was the next one to try."

She chuckled. "What would you have done if Dave would have failed?"

He gave her an evil grin. "I was going to go get the kids," he told her truthfully.

She balked. "You wouldn't have!" He raised his brows. "You would have."

He laughed. "Go get ready. Hotch said they were going to be getting him up after lunch. I figured you'd want to be there for that."

She took another drink of the coffee and nodded. "And he wants his clothes."

Chuck laughed. "Only he would worry about looking proper in a hospital room." He shook his head. "Dave gave me a bag of his stuff yesterday," he told her as he pointed to a little suitcase on the dresser.

She put an arm around him. "I love you," she told him with a smile.

"I know. Now get your ass up and get ready!" he told her as he shoved her away from him. She got up with a grin and went to the bathroom. "And I love you, too," he told her before she shut the door.

XXX

After disconnecting Hotch from everything, the nurse told him he could take a shower after he went to the bathroom. He had to demonstrate that he actually could after having a catheter in. He just nodded and the nurse smiled at his embarrassment. She opened the door, and Kahlan and Chuck were on the other side. Hotch silently thanked God that they didn't walk in on him five minutes earlier. Tom nodded at Chuck and followed the nurse down the hall. He had stepped out to give Hotch privacy.

Kahlan went up to him with a smile. "Hey, Hun," she told him and leaned down to give him a kiss.

"Hey, Babe," he told her and then looked at her expectantly.

She chuckled and held out her hand to Chuck. He laughed and relinquished the coffee in his hand to her. "And no, I didn't take a drink out of it."

Hotch chuckled as he took it and took a long drink. He sighed contently as the heat filled his chest.

"You better not get caught with that," Kahlan told him as she sat down on the bed by his legs.

"Nah, she was just in here. They want me to go to the restroom next. Then I can take a shower," he told her with a smile.

"I think you need to be healed up before that happens," Chuck told him with a sly look.

Kahlan turned and smacked him. "Shut up!"

Hotch shook his head as he turned a little red with Chuck apparently reading his thoughts. Kahlan looked at him and smacked him on the leg. "Aaron!"

Hotch and Chuck both laughed. "I'm going to go check on everyone," Chuck told them and went out the door still laughing a little.

Kahlan shook her head at him and turned back to her husband. He looked at her. "Exactly who are his buddies?"

She smiled. "You really want to know?"

His coffee froze halfway to his lips. "I don't know, now."

She laughed. "They're Delta Force One."

Hotch's face deadpanned. "What?"

She laughed even harder. "You asked."

He looked back to the door and then back to her. "You're serious?"

"Where do you think I found Chuck?"

"He was Delta Force?"

"I only recruited the best," she told him with a cocky grin.

"I thought you two were together since he was eighteen?"

"They snatched him up right out of basic training. That's how good he was."

He shook his head. "Where did you find Cam?"

"He wasn't so easy to find, but I saw him first at a martial arts tournament when he was fifteen. I kept tabs on him and once he was old enough, I grabbed him, too."

He took a deep breath. "I'm never going to know everything about you all, am I?"

She smiled. "Please. If I had told you everything in the beginning, you would have run for the hills screaming."

He laughed. "You're probably right." He took another drink of the coffee. She took it from his hand and before he could object, the door opened and in walked the doctor.

"How are you today?" he asked as he walked up. Kahlan stood up and got out of the way. He studied her and smiled. "You look better." She smiled, and he moved Hotch's bed so he could look him over again. Hotch sighed and looked at the wall. "Be careful not to pull the stitches when you take your shower," he told him as he pressed on him while looking for discomfort on Hotch's face. Hotch nodded. "You seem to be healing just fine," Newcome told him and replaced the gown.

"I feel better," Hotch admitted as the doctor moved his bed back up.

The doctor nodded. "Did the nurse tell you that you need to urinate into the hat so we can make sure you're. . ."

"Yes," Hotch told him quickly.

Newcome smiled. "How about something you have to actually chew for dinner?"

That made Hotch smile. "Please."

The doctor laughed. "I'll have them bring you a menu, and if you're good, maybe even some coffee with breakfast."

"Deal," Hotch told him with a grin.

Once the doctor left, Kahlan gave him back his coffee with a grin. After about twenty minutes, Hotch actually felt like he had to pee. Kahlan helped him stand up, and he winced as he stood next to his bed.

"Take it easy," Kahlan warned him.

"I know. Just give me a minute. I need to get my land legs back," he told her with a smile.

After a moment he took a step by himself. Kahlan wrapped an arm around his waist, and he went the rest of the way leaning on her a little. She helped him into the restroom and waited. "I think I can handle this part," he told her sheepishly.

She giggled. "I don't think they want you doing any heavy lifting yet."

He shook his head at her. "Go grab my bag."

She smiled and went to go get it. She smiled again when she heard him going and waited until he was done to join him again. "You sure you don't need any help showering? I promise, I will behave myself," she told him seriously.

He shook his head. "Nah, there's a seat if I need to sit down."

She reached up to grab his gown, but he stopped her. She studied his face and shook her head. "I've already seen you."

"I know. I just. . ." he said weakly as his eyes cut to the side.

"You need to look, Hun. You might be surprised at what you see," she told him as she pulled the gown off of him. He licked his lips nervously, and she turned him toward the mirror.

He had closed his eyes as soon as he realized what she was doing. He didn't want to see another disgusting scar. He knew she would never say anything about it, and he knew it wouldn't actually bother her, but I bothered him.

"Open your eyes, Aaron," she told him tenderly as she moved in behind him.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He locked eyes with her in the mirror, still not wanting to look at himself. She reached around and ran a hand lovingly along the incision in his abdomen; his stomach quivered under her touch. His eyes slowly traced down the mirror until he saw it. His brows furrowed as he looked at the thin line going across right under the bottom muscles of his six-pack. He brought up a hand and felt the incision nervously.

"After a few months, you probably won't even be able to see it," Kahlan whispered into his ear.

He took a shuddering breath as he looked at the rest of his torso. His head tilted and his face showed his disbelief as he noticed all of his scars also had stitches in them. "What did they do?" he asked quietly as he ran over one of them.

"She cut out the scar tissue," Kahlan explained.

He looked at her in the mirror and she smiled when she saw his eyes water. "How? Why?" he asked weakly.

"Because you deserve to feel as good about yourself, as I feel about you," she told him as she hugged him from behind.

"So you're behind this?"

She nodded. "I didn't want you to have another scar to be ashamed of, so I had Newcome call in the best plastic surgeon he knew. I didn't know she was going to do all that, though."

He turned to her as a tear escape his eye. "I love you so much," he told her and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Once he pulled away from her, she smiled. "I love you, too," she hung her arms around her neck. "Just make sure you don't go shirtless too much. I'd hate to have to kick a bunch of women's asses for staring too hard."

He laughed. "At least now I know why they were itching so much."

She kissed his cheek. "Take your shower. Call me if you need any help," she told him sternly.

"Yes, Ma'am," he told her and stepped into the shower and started the hot water.

She put his bag on the toilet and left, but she left the door open a crack.

After his shower, Hotch was much more comfortable in boxers, a pair of sweats, and a t-shirt, but he didn't shave for Kahlan. They relaxed as they chatted about anything that came to mind. Kahlan again brought up a family vacation, and Hotch agreed but told her he would need time to get things back to normal at the BAU before he could take off. He also wasn't sure about them giving him the time that he thought she wanted.

"Jesus, Aaron, you have over six months of vacation time saved up. Hell, you could almost take off a year if you used all of your sick days, too."

He grinned. "Yes, but I'm not sure Paxton or Mueller will want me to take that big of a chunk of it at the same time."

She huffed. "I'm sure Jim will see to it that they agree to three weeks without a problem."

He raised his brows at her. "You would really go to the DNI to get it done?" He shook his head. "Never mind, I know you would."

She giggled. "You haven't taken off more than two days together the whole time I've known you. We deserve to get away and enjoy ourselves. What good is having connections if you can't use them to your own advantage every now and then?"

"You really want to go to Europe?"

"Yes."

"We'll have to get the kids passports. That'll take time." She smiled. "They already have them?" She nodded, and he shook his head again. _I should have known._

She grabbed her laptop out of the chair and went to the internet. "Look at this place," she told him as she went through the bookmarks. "It's a working castle with all of the modern amenities of a five star hotel," she started as she showed him the pictures. He smiled at her childlike joy of it and silently listened to her tell him all about it.

"Have you been there?"

"The castle? No."

"Well, I know you've been to Europe. Is there any place you haven't been?"

She shrugged. "The only place I would like to go that I haven't is Australia. I would love to see all the animals there."

He smiled. "Guess that'll be our next vacation."

She smiled. "Maybe. Is there any place you would like to go that you haven't?"

He huffed. "I haven't done any traveling really. I've been all over the US and even into Canada, but nowhere else." He thought about it for a second. "I've always thought about going someplace like China or something."

She raised her brows at that. "China? Why?" She mentally winced because the couple times she had been there weren't pleasure trips.

"The gardens, the history, I would love to see the scenery."

"Maybe we should plan a big vacation every two years. That way the kids will get the benefits of world culture."

He smiled. "That would be nice," he told her as he wrapped an arm around her.

She noticed the tired in his eyes and got up. "Why don't you lay down and try to nap before dinner. We have plenty of time to discuss vacations."

He nodded and she adjusted his bed. The little physical activity he had managed left him drained. "Maybe tomorrow, we can actually walk down to the cafeteria or go outside for a while." He knew he'd have to build himself back up.

She smiled and leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Anything for the man I love."

He smiled and closed his eyes.


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter 74**

"Alright, somebody needs to explain to me exactly how rich Chuck is," Mack said as she looked at the people around her. Everyone was there except Cam and Garcia because they were down in her lair running satellite footage.

"Chuck's rich, too?" JJ asked flabbergasted.

"What do you mean, too?" Mack asked quickly.

"Well, we all knew Kahlan had money," Reid started. "But after the raid on the Lodge, we figured Cam had money, too."

"Yeah, him saying he'd buy new semis if needed kind of told us that he had money," Morgan told her and she nodded. "Why do you think Chuck has money?"

"They wanted me to go get Kahlan and Hotch new phones, a laptop, and an iPod," she started. "So Chuck gave me this credit card and told me they wouldn't ask for an ID for it because I was worried they would." They all looked at her waiting for her to go on. "When I got to the store and told them what I wanted and they just kind of looked at me like, oh I don't know, like they knew I couldn't afford all of it or something." Mina shook her head. "Then, when I showed them the card, it was like they were trying to sell me everything in the damn store."

Will laughed. "What kind of card was it?"

"It was a black American Express," Mack told them.

Rossi choked on his coffee. After sputtering and coughing he fixed her with a look. "What!?"

"A black American Express," she repeated as she shared looks with everyone else.

Reid whistled. "The Black Card from American Express is the most exclusive card there is."

"That's for the elite of the rich," Rossi confirmed.

"You have one?" JJ asked him.

He shook his head. "I'm not that rich. You can't even apply for that card; it's by invitation only." He shook his head some more. "I guess that explains how Kahlan afforded all that stuff."

"You think they all have one? Maybe it's just part of the program. You know, so they can get anything they need whenever they need it," Mina mused.

"God, I hope not. With a card like that, we'd never be able to find Damian," Morgan told her.

Rossi took out his phone.

"Who are you calling?" JJ asked him.

"Cam. We need to know if the squad has access to anything like that." Before he could bring up his contacts the table phone buzzed. He put down his phone and hit the speaker button. "You're on speaker."

"Hey, my Primo of Pasta, Puddin and I just wanted you all to know that there's been a hit on Damian's card in New York City." They all shared grins for Garcia calling as soon as Rossi was about to call them.

"New York City?" Morgan asked quickly.

"We notified the squad," Cam injected.

"Could it be a ruse? I mean, he has to know what we'd do to track him, right?" Mack asked them.

Rossi smiled at her. "I was thinking the same thing."

"I concur, but they're sending Bee out to check it out anyway," Cam told them.

"So do they have access to a secret stash of money or anything like that that we need to worry about," JJ asked him with a smile to Rossi.

"No," Cam started. "There is a small spending account they can draw from, but we've closed his access to that."

They all shared looks. Rossi shrugged.

**XXXXX**

After enjoying a dinner of meatloaf, a baked potatoes, and green beans, Hotch, Kahlan, and Chuck started discussing Damian. "I know you want to go after him," Hotch started as he looked at his wife.

"I know you don't want me to," she countered as she looked at him.

"But you're going to anyway?" Hotch asked as he gave her a look that told her how much he didn't like it.

She took a deep breath.

"How about we give the squad and the team a few days to find him, and if they can't, then we'll do it," Chuck suggested. They both looked at him. "We as in Kay, me, and Cam," he clarified. Hotch was about to say something but Chuck spoke first. "The only reason I didn't include you was because you won't be healed fully."

Hotch looked at Kahlan, and she shrugged. Hotch pursed his lips as he thought about it. "Only if you promise to stay with them," he told her.

She smiled. "I can live with that."

"And I get first dibs on him, though," Hotch added quickly. Chuck and Kahlan both looked at him. "I still have a few things I want to go over with him," he told them simply.

Kahlan smiled. "I did make sure the squad knew that they weren't allowed to kill him."

Chuck laughed. "The poor bastard, I almost feel sorry for him."

XXX

By the time eight o'clock rolled around, Kahlan could see how tired Hotch was getting so they called the kids. Once they were done, she told him to go ahead and go asleep. He said he would if she let Chuck take her to the hotel so she could get some sleep, too. She agreed and they kissed goodnight. "I'll see you in the morning," he told her with a smile.

"Yep. I love you," she told him and started for the door.

"I love you, too."

**XXXXX**

The next day, Hotch felt even better and they had taken a stroll to the garden set in the center of the hospital. Kahlan didn't want him actually going outside because while she trusted Chuck's buddies to protect Hotch in the hospital, she knew none of them could stop a sniper shot from outside the hospital. That was also why she insisted on a room that only had a window on the inside, but she didn't point that out to Hotch either.

Dr. Newcomb had also stopped by twice and was happy with Hotch's progress. He told them that he thought Hotch would actually be able to get released in two more days, when his stitches were to be removed, as long as they promised he would take it easy for couple days at home. He made sure to tell them he would put it in writing that he was not cleared to go back to work until then. Hotch agreed with a smile.

By that evening, the team had narrowed down a geographical profile and the squad was hunting it. Rossi called to let Hotch and Kahlan know. He also told them that the lead in New York was false. "Damian apparently gave his card to a man and told him to have fun with it."

"That was smart," Chuck agreed.

"Yeah, but we all knew it was a counter measure," Rossi pointed out.

"Yeah, but he really doesn't understand how good you all are at your jobs. He probably thinks he's pulled one over on you again," Chuck pointed out. "He probably still hasn't figured out how we knew they weren't dead and how we found them."

Hotch smiled at the compliment. "Just make sure you let the squad actually do the take down," he warned Rossi. He didn't want anyone on his team to get hurt by Damian.

"We know, Hotch. I won't let him try any of that shit on us. At least the squad knows what to expect."

Kahlan smiled and then told Rossi what the doctor said.

"That's awesome. I can't wait until you all get back here," he told them honestly.

"I, for one, will be glad when this whole mess is done," Chuck admitted.

Kahlan gave him a small smile. Even though she knew he was video chatting and Facetimeing Vinnie every chance he got, she knew Vinnie was getting anxious for him to get home. She also knew, though, that it would do no good to try and talk him into going home without them.

"Yeah. Cindi has already said she's making a massive batch of her fried chicken for everyone once this is over," Rossi told them.

Hotch smiled when he saw Kahlan's face light up at the mention of her mom's fried chicken. "Does she mean everyone?" Hotch wanted to make sure she knew exactly how many people were involved.

Rossi laughed. "Yep. I told her and she insisted that she wants everyone. Besides, the girls are going to help. It will be one massive picnic," he told them and they could hear the smile in his voice. "Remember, Kahlan gets her stubbornness from somewhere," he added with a laugh.

"Hey!" Kahlan yelled, and they all laughed.

After the call, Chuck went out to check on everything and give the couple some time alone. Hotch looked at her strangely.

"What?" Kahlan asked not knowing what he was thinking about.

"Alright, now I know how Chuck and Cam were recruited. How were you? Garcia said you were in college in '92, if that was real. So how did they know you were good enough for the squad?"

She smiled. "That's my dad's fault, I guess."

Hotch's brows furrowed. "Your dad?"

She laughed. "Dad apparently knew I had the ability to be good at something like that since I was young. He taught me how to shoot, hunt, fish, how to move through the woods quietly, and so on. I always thought it was because he never had a boy and I was just his buddy, but as I thought back on it, I realized we weren't just spending time together; he was nurturing my natural talents."

Hotch nodded slowly. He could see those talents in Joey already, so he understood completely. "Did your dad get you on the squad?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "No, not in any direct way." She smiled as she thought about her dad. "He apparently bragged to one of his good friends about me." She chuckled at some memory. "They wanted Dad for Delta Force."

"Really?"

She smiled proudly. "Yeah. He was a demolition expert in the Combat Engineers. Apparently his three tours in Vietnam impressed them. He was so good they asked him to join."

"He didn't, though." Hotch knew her father retired after being a Drill Sargent.

"No, he had a wife and four girls to worry about, and he didn't want to be sent anywhere and everywhere and take the chance of something happening to him." She shook the memories away. "Anyway, his friend, Jim Scofield, knew a few people, and after hearing Dad's stories about me, he told one of his buddies, and they kept an eye on me. Once I was eighteen, they approached me. It sounded like fun to a wild child like me, so I said yes."

"Fun?"

"I was young and stupid. . ."

He laughed. "Young, I can see, but nothing could ever make me think you have ever been stupid."

She shrugged. "That was a long time ago, but I don't regret it. I may not like everything that has happened, but I don't regret it."

"Any of it?"

She smiled. "Nope. Everything that happened, led me to you."

His dimples shown as he put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "And I'm glad it did."

After another hour or so, they video chatted with the kids, and then they said goodnight.


	75. Chapter 75

**Chapter 75**

Hotch woke up and expected to see Kahlan and Chuck, but he didn't. He looked at his phone; it was already after nine. He sighed when he didn't see any texts or missed calls. He didn't want to disturb Kahlan if she was still sleeping, but something was telling him they were already up. His fingers rubbed the side of his phone as he considered what to do as he made the way to the restroom. Once he emerged he decided to text Chuck and ask him where they were. As he waited, his imagination brought all kinds of horrors to his mind. _She's fine. I would know if she'd been hurt!_ He looked at his phone and the silence was killing him. He decided to call Dave to see if they knew of anything.

"Hey, Hotch. How you feeling?"

"Have you heard from Kahlan or is anything happening that I need to be aware of?"

Rossi could hear the fear in Hotch's voice so he knew he had to skip pleasantries and get him caught up to speed. "The squad informed Cam around four this morning that they were close to Damian, but we haven't heard anything since. Is Kahlan not with you?"

"No. I thought they'd be here by now, but I haven't heard from them," Hotch told him as he went to his door and opened it to find Hamp on guard. "Hold on," he told Rossi and turned to Hamp. "You hear from Chuck this morning?"

Hamp had stood up as soon as Hotch opened the door. He licked his lips nervously. "No. What's going on?"

"I don't know. I just thought they'd be here by now is all."

"Sorry, Agent Hotchner. If something were wrong, I'm sure Chuck would have sent us a text at least."

"Yeah, maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions," Hotch admitted and went back into his room.

He put the phone back to his ear, but it vibrated before he could talk to Rossi again. He quickly looked at it. It was a text from Chuck finally.

'Sorry, man. Kay was using my phone to conference with the squad. We'll be there in ten.'

'K,' Hotch answered and took a deep breath. "Sorry, Dave. They're on their way."

"So everything is alright?" Rossi asked.

"I think so. She was talking to the squad, but I don't know about what."

"Alright, just let me know what's going on once you find out."

"Sure thing," Hotch told him and then ended the call.

He sat down and tried to relax. He really hoped the squad had found Damian because he didn't want Kahlan to have to go after him. The few days she promised to give the squad didn't say exactly how many days she was willing to let them try. He really didn't want to have to deal with her going after Damian but he knew there would be no stopping her if she felt the squad couldn't accomplish the task. He swallowed hard. He knew the man had to be found for everything to go back to normal, but he really, really didn't want Kahlan to have to do it especially since he knew he couldn't be part of it.

The door opened and he turned to see Kahlan. She had two coffees in her hands and an evil grin on her face. He knew instantly that she had gotten good news from the squad.

"What happened?" he asked as he met her halfway across the floor.

"The squad found him," Kahlan told Hotch.

He stood up a little straighter. "Good," he said as he nodded. Relief over not having to worry about Damian getting his hands on his wife anymore made him smile. "Where do they have him?"

"They've brought him here."

No nodded as his face started to show the anger he felt towards the younger man.

"I know I promised him to you," she started with a charming smile as she set down the coffees and took his hand. "But can I _please_ have my turn first?"

Hotch chuckled. It was if she was a kid wanting to go down the slide before him.

"I promise not to kill him!" she added quickly with another deceptively nice smile.

"Then why can't you go after me?"

"But you might kill him. If he starts running his mouth. . ." she shook her head. "If you kill him, then I won't get a chance."

Hotch studied her. "And I guess you don't want me to watch."

"No!" she told him quickly. "No man should."

Hotch swallowed hard as his imagination picked up on the 'no man' part she stressed. _Jesus Christ!_ He took a deep breath as he remembered Chuck's interrogation that made his own balls want to hide. _Son of a bitch deserves every bit of it, though!_ "Only if you promise to take Chuck and he makes sure you're going to be completely safe first."

She raised her brows as she considered it. Finally she smiled a wicked smile. "I promise."

He shook his head. _If I don't know about, it can't bother me!_

**XXXXX**

Chuck pulled up to the abandoned slaughter house outside of Charleston. He laughed at the irony as Kahlan got out and joined him. "The squad couldn't have picked a more perfect place to hold Damian, don't you think?"

Kahlan chuckled. "Yeah, whoever chose it has an evil streak."

"Not one as big as yours, I bet," Chuck told her with a smile as they made their way to the door.

Bee held the door open for them and then led the way to a room that clearly was made for the processing of carcasses with the tiled walls and floor and all of the drains everywhere. It even still held the stench of blood. Damian was chained up along one of the walls. As soon as Sam saw them, he hoisted the chains up to make Damian stand with just his toes touching the floor. His legs were chained to the floor, too.

He smiled cockily at the newcomers. "I've passed the test of pain, so unless you're here to kill me, you can just turn around and leave," he tried to act brave, but Kahlan could see a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you Damian, but I can assure you, you have never felt pain like what I can cause," she told him with a smile that was anything but nice.

Damian licked his lips. "Sai's use that shit on all of us. We know what it feels like."

Kahlan laughed. "Sai doesn't know a quarter of the shit I do." She turned to Chuck. "Satisfied?"

Chuck looked Damian up and down. He knew Damian couldn't do anything to hurt Kahlan, not that he really thought he could, but Hotch made him promise to make sure. "Yeah," he told her and started back for the door. He looked at the squad. "If I were you, I wouldn't watch this," he told them truthfully. When Kahlan told him that she didn't even want him watching, he knew it was going to be bad. The squad looked at him questioningly. "I'm telling you, you don't want to see this," Chuck told them one more time. When they didn't move to leave, he laughed. "Well, you can't say I didn't warn you," he told them and went out the door.

Sam and Bee shared a look, but Jules and Sai settled into a seat to see what they could learn.

Kahlan glanced at them out of the corner of her eye and smiled. _Bee will be the first one to run out_. Kahlan advanced on Damian and looked him up and down. He had one hell of a black eye, a nasty slice across his chest, and with the way he was holding one foot, Kahlan was pretty sure his leg was broken in at least one place. _Not bad, but he deserves so much more!_ He smiled at her and she could see the lust in his eyes. She sighed heavily. _Time to kill that once and for all! _"You really did all this just because you wanted me?"

He tried to look at her seductively, but with his face beaten it looked comical. "I guess good taste runs in the family."

She laughed. She knew he had no idea why Demitri had taken her, but it still pissed her off. She walked up to him and slowly unbuttoned his pants and let them fall down to his ankles. He had a look of fear on his face then, and it made her smile.

He took her smile to mean something else, though. "You like, huh?"

She giggled through her nose and then reached into his tight fitting boxers. She cradled his manhood in her hand. "You were planning on using this on me?"

"Oh yeah," he told her as she started to massage him. "You would have loved it," he added as he started to stiffen.

"Really?" she asked and then pulled the boxers down, too. "Where's the rest of it?"

Jules snorted.

"It's not the size but how you use it," Damian told her with another cocky smile.

"Whatever woman told you that lie was just trying to make you feel better," Kahlan told him just as cockily.

He huffed. "You would have enjoyed it."

"Not even under the effects of scopolamine and you telling me I had to," she told him as she continued her massage. His hips started thrusting as pleasure emanated through him. "After being with Aaron for so long, my body has grown accustomed to his size. I honestly don't even think I would have been able to feel this little thing."

That made him stop enjoying himself.

She looked down at his feet. "In my experience the size of a man's foot was in direct correlation with his manhood, but obviously that's just an old wives' tale," she continued as she still massaged him. "Aaron's at least four times the size you are."

Bee actually laughed, and Kahlan could see embarrassment creeping onto Damian's face.

He shook his head defiantly. "There's more than one way to please a woman."

"Oh and you think you'd be able to please me?" she asked him as she moved her hand into a different position.

"In ways you've never dreamt possible," he demanded as he started getting his ego back.

"Oh you mean something like this?" she asked quietly as she found one of his pleasure spots. A moan of pleasure escaped him as he thrusted forward into her hand. "You like that, huh?"

"Oh, yeah," he breathed heavily.

"Then you'll like this even more," she told him and hit another spot.

"Oh, God!" he exclaimed as his eyes rolled back and goose bumps popped out on his legs.

"See, the really great thing about these spots is the sense of euphoria they cause in the brain. As your brain is flooded with endorphins, every other sense is drowned out." She reached up with a foot and jostled his wounded leg, and he didn't even flinch. She giggled again as she studied his face. "The bad thing about all those endorphins, though, is that all I have to do is move my hand and all of that pleasure will actually accentuate any pain that comes next," she told them and then shifted her hand to engulf one of his balls and squeezed.

The scream that erupted from him set Sam's teeth on edge. He had heard some nasty screams before, but they were nothing compared to what was emitting from Damian's throat. He was starting to understand why Chuck thought they shouldn't watch.

Kahlan kept applying more pressure until the testicle made a sickening pop. He continued to scream even after she let him go and his legs couldn't support him anymore. He dropped to where only his chained up arms were holding him up. Kahlan laughed. "Wow, look at that, that's the fastest I've ever popped one of those. It must be because they're so small."

Nobody laughed at that, and Kahlan knew the squad was regretting staying. Bee got up and quickly left the room.

"You fucking bitch!" Damian finally spit as he panted through the lingering pain.

"Oh, don't worry, the pain won't last forever," she told him dryly. "Eventually, that'll shrivel up and get reabsorbed into the body."

He looked at her with hatred. "I should have killed Hotchner! I didn't because of you."

"Yeah right. You shot him in the gut with a shrapnel bullet to cause him as much pain as you could cause without killing him outright. You were just dumb enough to think we wouldn't get him to a hospital in time. Nor did you realize that Chuck is a medic. You didn't do any research on your enemies, did you?" he just hung there, sweat dripping off his nose. "Shows how good of a squad member you are."

"I'm not a member, I'm the leader!" he yelled defiantly.

"Not anymore you're not," she told him simply, and his open defiance pissed her off even more. "You're not very smart either," she told him as she grabbed his manhood again. "I guess I'm going to have to completely crush you to finally get rid of that damn male pride and ego, huh?" she asked as she found a spot that gave anything but pleasure. He screamed again as she held him.

She shook her head at him. "Not quite the pitch I was going for," she started and grabbed his uninjured ball in her other hand. His scream was a mix of fear, pain, and desperation, and he actually started convulsing as she squeezed.

The second disgusting pop actually made Sam throw up.

Kahlan finally let him go and he slumped into silence, barely breathing. "That's better," she told him and then wiped her hands on his shirt. "You'll never be able to get that up again, but at least you can still use it to piss," she told him with a satisfied smile.

"Just kill me," he told her weakly.

"What?" she asked as she leaned in closer to him to hear him better.

"Please, kill me," he pleaded.

She laughed. "Nah. I'm going to leave that decision up to Aaron. He finally gets released tomorrow. You can hold on that long, can't you?"

He actually started crying.

She reached out and grabbed his hair to make him look at her. "Yeah. See you may feel like you're going to die right now, but it won't actually kill you. Have a good day, Damian. I'll see you tomorrow," she told him as she let his head fall to his chest. With one more look at the broken man, she turned on her heel and left the room. The squad scrambled to quickly join her.

Chuck was smiling as he leaned up against the wall next to the door to the outside. When he saw Kahlan smile, he laughed. When he saw how pale Sam and Sai were, he shook his head. "I told you, you didn't want to watch."

Sam swallowed hard and looked at Kahlan with a little more fear in his eyes.

"You knew what she was going to do to him?" Jules asked him.

"Not exactly, but when she told me I wouldn't want to watch, I believed her," Chuck told her with a grin.

Kahlan looked at them and realized none of them would get that close to her. "Some men just need to be crushed," she told them simply.

"I never knew the hand could cause that damage. I thought it had to be something more traumatic like a vice, or a wreck, or dropping from a distance," Sai started as he shook his head.

"The average person couldn't do it," is all she offered.

"So I couldn't just grab some guy and do that?" Bee asked her.

"No. It would hurt like hell and it would bruise, but you couldn't pop it without knowing how," Kahlan explained. "It's not something that should be done lightly."

"You think Agent Hotchner will kill him," Sam asked and they could all tell he was hoping for a 'yes'. They could tell he didn't think any man should be left to live like that.

Kahlan raised her brows as she considered it. "It depends on how mouthy he'll be."

Chuck laughed. "After that, he probably won't say a word." While he hadn't watched what Kahlan had done, he had heard the screams and it had made his skin crawl.

Kahlan turned to Jules. "Clean him up, dress him, make sure he drinks so he doesn't go into shock, and put him on the floor. I want him alive when Aaron comes. After that, I don't care what happens to him."

"Yes, ma'am," Jules told her and the squad went back into the building as Chuck and Kahlan got in his Jeep to go back to the hospital.


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter 76**

Hotch had paced in his room. He wasn't worried about Kahlan getting hurt because he knew Chuck would make sure she couldn't. He was worried about her losing her temper and actually killing Damian, though. He needed to face the man again. His alpha demanded retribution. He wasn't sure how he was going to get it exactly, but he knew he had to.

He had also called to let everyone know that Damian would no longer be a problem. While he didn't take the security off the kids, he told Donna that it was safe for her to take them home. She told him she would take them to their house he could hear them cheering in the back ground. He also told her that they would probably be back home the next night, and she made him promise to text her as soon as they knew for sure. He did and then started to thank her for everything, but she hung up on him. He chuckled and then put his phone away. _I'll take the security off them once we're home and I know they're safe._

Kahlan walked in the room with a smile on her face; Chuck did, too, but he looked a little paler than normal. _Damn, Babe, what did you do?_ He chuckled at the normally brave man and then pulled Kahlan into a hug. "Everything go alright?"

"It went fine," is all she offered.

"You weren't gone as long as I expected."

She giggled her evil giggle. "It doesn't take long if you know what you're doing."

He swallowed hard and glanced at Chuck. Chuck winced and sat down in the chair shaking his head at him to let him know he didn't want to know what had happened. He turned back to his wife. "He's still alive?"

She looked hurt. "I told you I wouldn't kill him. I know you need to see him."

He licked his lips. "I was just worried he'd piss you off just so you would kill him," he admitted.

She huffed. "I do have some self-control, Aaron." He pulled her to the bed and she sat down beside him. "Do you want me to go with you?" she asked as she studied his face. She knew he was thinking about the confrontation.

He smiled. "Oh yeah. I want him to see us together."

She giggled her evil giggle again and leaned her shoulder into his. "I love it when you're devious."

He shook his head at her.

XXX

Towards the end of the day, Hotch tried to get Chuck to take Kahlan to the hotel, but she refused. "Not tonight. I don't want you to be alone," she insisted. She knew he had spent most of the day thinking about Damian and she was worried about him not actually sleeping.

He finally gave in and Chuck left them with the promise to be back by nine in the morning. Newcome had come in and told him he would be released around noon, and Hotch joked that while he appreciated the hospital food over the liquid diet he had started with, he was going to skip lunch in favor of a good restaurant. Newcome laughed but agreed with him completely. He looked at Kahlan and asked to speak with her in the hall. Hotch eyed them warily, but let them have their privacy.

"Mrs. Hotchner," Newcome started as he pulled an envelope out of his back pocket. "You need to explain this," he told her as he handed it to her.

She took the envelope and opened the paper inside. She smiled as she read it. "What is there to explain?"

He studied her face. "Why?"

"Well, his insurance covered your actual fee for being the surgeon, so I had to do something to thank you," she told him as she handed him back the paper.

"You have paid my malpractice insurance for two years?" he asked and the shock in his voice was evident.

She shrugged. "I know that is a doctor's biggest cost." He shook his head and was about to argue. "You brought in Dr. Veltman and she did an amazing job! I can't thank you enough. You listened to a distraught wife and gave her what she wanted instead of just ignoring her. You deserve to be repaid," she insisted.

"You did it for her, too?"

She smiled. "And doubled her fee like I said I would. He can finally look at himself and not cringe. You have no idea how happy that makes me."

He smiled as he studied her. "It's obvious that you love him. He is a very lucky man."

She shook her head. "No. I'm the one who is lucky. Thank you again."

He squeezed her arm and went down the hall. She noticed he shook his head a few more times and she smiled. She went back in and joined her husband. "What?" she asked at his look. He raised his brows and waited for her to explain. She sat down beside him and shook her head. "He just wanted me to know how to treat your incisions once we got home. He can tell you wouldn't want to discuss them."

He relaxed. "Ok. I just didn't want any bad news or anything unexpected to be popping up to stop me from getting out of here tomorrow."

She laughed as she patted his leg. "I would help you escape if it came down to it."

Hotch moved Kahlan to make her look at him. Her brows furrowed as she studied his face trying to figure out what was on his mind. He licked his lips and then opened his mouth to say something and then shook head as he closed it.

"What?" she asked with concern.

"Nothing," he told her and looked at the TV.

"Really, Aaron?" she asked as she pressed the button on the bed and shut the TV off. "What are you thinking about?"

He took a deep breath and then got up and paced a little.

"Hun?" she asked a little more sternly.

He stopped pacing but he didn't look at her. "Do you think Damian is attractive?"

Her eyes shot open with surprise. "What?!" she asked as she went to him.

"He's a young attractive guy who is obviously very attracted to you. . ."

"I tried. . ."

"I'm not saying that's your fault! Hell any man who isn't attracted to you isn't a real man. I was just wondering if you were. . ."

"Aaron Jackson Hotchner! You are the only man I am interested in," she insisted as she put her arms around his neck.

"Well, I could see where someone might be flattered to have a young guy like that. . ."

She sighed and shook her head. "He's not alpha enough for me."

He furrowed his brows. "Alpha enough? He's an alpha."

She laughed and stepped back from him. "Maybe, but I guess I'm only attracted to supreme alphas."

"Supreme alphas? There's no such thing," he insisted.

She huffed. "You're a supreme alpha, Aaron." His look told her he didn't believe her. "Look at your team, Hun. Morgan and Rossi are both alphas, but they defer to you. Look at the RRT. The damn bullpen has never seen so many alphas at one time, but you naturally rose above them all."

"No. I am Morgan's and Rossi boss, and I was put in charge of the RRT. That's why everyone deferred to me."

She shook her head. "So you're saying that they would defer to anyone who was put in charge?" He was about to say something, but she cut back in. "So you think Reid would have had as easy as time as you?" That made him stop. She smiled as he thought about it. "Well, look at me. I intimidate the shit out of men without even meaning to." He nodded his agreement. "And yet you never even blinked when you confronted me that first day."

He backed up a step. "I didn't even know you when I did that," he told her sheepishly as he remembered it.

"Even still," she continued with a little chuckle. "Only a supreme alpha male could catch an alpha bitch like me. Most men would have run from me as soon as they found out anything about me."

He put his hands on her waist. "The more I found out, the more I wanted to know more."

"Exactly! You are a supreme alpha even if the gentleman in you won't let you admit it." He shook his head still not believing her. She sighed. "But no, I am not attracted to Damian in any shape, form, or fashion."

He finally smiled. "Good," he told her and leaned down and gave her a kiss.

XXX

At ten, she convinced Hotch to try and go to sleep. She pulled the chair up next to the bed and kept a hand on his chest. After several sighs and shifting around, she knew he couldn't sleep so she stood up and looked him in the eyes. "You need to rest, Hun. You're not fully healed and you still need to build back up your strength," she told him tenderly.

He sighed heavily. "I know, but I can't."

"Want me to help?"

"You can try, but I don't think I'm relaxed enough for that."

She huffed and started to massage his shoulders. He closed his eyes and smiled as he felt some of his tension melt away. "Just relax, Hun. Listen to my voice and let yourself drift," she told him quietly. Her fingers made their way up both sides of his neck and a moan escaped him. "Just think about our vacation and us finally getting to spend some time together without any worries." Her fingers made their way up the back of his head and she felt his neck muscles yielding their control to support his head. She smiled and leaned down and kissed him gently. His lips returned the kiss weakly and she knew he was on his way, so she shifted her hands and massaged him some more. Within moments, he was gone. She laid him down gently and smiled at his boyish expression. "Sweet dreams, Hun," she whispered and sat down. She draped her arm across him and let herself drift off, too.

XXX

Hotch woke up with a dry mouth. He tried to swallow and before he could even open his eyes, he felt a straw on his lips. He smiled as he opened his eyes and took a few drinks. Kahlan smiled back at him. He pulled away from the straw and sat up. "Damn hospital air."

She laughed a she placed the cup on the nightstand. "Yeah they filter it so many times that they suck out all of the moisture," she agreed.

He adjusted his bed and smiled at her again.

"What?"

"I slept really well," he told her as he swung his legs over the side and sat up.

"Good," she told him as she sat down next to him and handed him a coffee. He looked at her questioningly. She laughed. "Chuck's already been here and brought us both one."

He shook his head after he took a long drink and let the heat fill his chest. "You guys are too quiet."

She chuckled. "You should have seen me playing hide and go seek when I was young. It drove all of the other kids crazy."

He laughed as he imagined it. The door opened and in walked a woman holding two trays. She smiled at them. "Dr. Newcome says that you both have to eat or he is not releasing Mr. Dunmire," she told them as she sat both trays down on the bedside table.

They both shared a look and then laughed. "She'll eat if I have to force it down her throat," Hotch joked with her.

She laughed and left. Kahlan got up and took the lid off the top tray. The disgusting look she gave the tray made Hotch jump up to see what was on it. "If you try to force that down my throat, you'll need to go back into surgery," she told him seriously as she pointed to the bowl of oatmeal.

He choked on a laugh. "Get Chuck in here. He can eat it."

She nodded and pulled out her phone and texted him. "I'll eat the rest," she admitted as she pushed him to the bed and slid the table in front of him so he could eat. "You better eat yours, though, you need it."

"As long as there's enough sugar," he agreed.

XXX

A little after eleven, Dr. Newcome came in to remove his stitches. Kahlan stepped out to allow Hotch his privacy and went to make sure there wasn't any paperwork or anything she needed to take care of.

Newcome made Hotch take off his t-shirt and gently removed all of his stitches. He smiled when Hotch didn't look away, and he knew Kahlan had finally got him to look at himself. "These healed even better than I thought they would, and I know it's already fall, just be careful and use sunscreen if you find yourself in the sun."

Hotch nodded. "I need to thank you for everything."

Newcome shook his head as he finished. "Don't thank me. Thank your wife."

Hotch smiled as he sat up and grabbed his t-shirt. "I have, and I will again every day for the rest of my life," he told him seriously. Newcome smiled at his sincerity. Hotch smiled again and looked at him questioningly. "Any chance I can meet the doctor who did it?"

He smiled. "I think I can get her here before you're released. It'll take about an hour, so shower and get changed. Just make sure whatever pants you wear don't rub your main incision."

"Yes, sir," Hotch told him with a smile.

"I'll be back with your paperwork as soon as I can."

Kahlan walked in as Newcome walked out. She smiled at the smile on Hotch's face. "I'm going to shower and change," he told her as he grabbed his bag.

"Need any help?" she asked playfully.

"Nah, we don't have that much time," he told her and disappeared into the bathroom.

She sat down and took a deep breath. She was worried about Hotch's upcoming confrontation. She wasn't worried about his physical safety, she knew Damian wasn't a threat like that anymore, but she was worried about what Damian would say. She bit her lip as she thought about it. She wasn't sure how Hotch would take it if she shut him up if the conversation took a turn for the worst. She shook her head. She didn't think Hotch would kill him. _He's just not that type of man_. Then she remembered the story Rossi told about their confrontation with Demitri, Hotch had almost killed him with his bare hands. _I guess it'll depend on what Damian says. Please, God, please don't let him tell him anything bad!_ She still couldn't remember what happened when Damian had her under the effects of that powder, but she felt she knew her body, and she was sure nothing sexual had happened. She also knew Damian said 'she would have' enjoyed it, implying that he never got the chance to, but she knew how lies could plant the seeds of discord. _If he tries to convince Aaron that he had sex with me, I'll kill him!_

Hotch finally emerged in a pair of dark, loose jeans, a dark blue polo shirt, his sneakers, and freshly shaven. He laughed at Kahlan's pout. "What? I'm going home. I don't need everyone thinking I'm some bum."

She laughed as she got up and hugged him. She sighed wistfully. "It was nice while it lasted," she told him as she felt his smooth face.

"I still have a couple more days off; you'll see the scruff again."

She grinned like a child being promised a new toy and he shook his head at her. "So I guess we wait now, huh?"

She nodded and followed him to the bed and sat beside him.

XXX

After about twenty minutes, a female doctor walked in with her hand full of paperwork. She smiled warmly at the couple as they stood up to greet her. "Dr. Veltman?" Kahlan asked.

"Yes. Nice to finally meet you Mrs. Dunmire," she said as she stuck out her hand and Kahlan shook it. She turned to Hotch. "And it's nice to see you doing so well," she told him as he shook her hand.

"I really need to thank you," Kahlan started.

"Nonsense! I was glad I could help. When Dr. Newcome explained to me that you were in the FBI and you helped stop those terrorists, I had to do all I could. My sister was at one of the hospitals that were attacked. She told me how a man pushed her and her two month old baby back in the door to protect them when the shooting started." She took a deep breath. "Anyone who stopped those attacks deserves every reward he can get."

Hotch smiled as he wondered if it was her sister that he had saved, but he didn't ask. "Well, thank you. I really do appreciate everything you have done."

She beamed. "Just take care of yourself, and try to stay out of the way of any bad guys," she joked and handed him his discharge papers.

He took the papers with a grin and she turned to Kahlan. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

Kahlan shook her head. "Yes I did," she told her as she glanced at Hotch. "You came in in the middle of the night and helped my husband."

She smiled and then patted her on the shoulder. "Take care of him."

"I will," she told her and she left. Hotch eyed her warily as he tried to figure out what Kahlan had done, but he didn't ask and she didn't tell. "You ready?"

He went up and pulled her into a hug. "Yep. Thank you."

She smiled. "Come on. Chuck's got the guys in the parking lot, and I want to thank them before we leave."


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter 77**

After thanking all of Chuck's buddies, Chuck took them to the slaughter house. Hotch was silent on the ride over and Kahlan knew he was preparing himself to face Damian. She silently hoped that what she had done to Damian had taken all of the fight out of him. She knew he was probably still in extreme pain and she mentally chuckled. _I hope it hurts like hell for days!_ Her phone vibrated and it was a text from Rossi telling her to keep an eye on Hotch. She smiled. She knew Rossi was just as worried as she was, but she told him she would.

Hotch actually chuckled when he saw where they were holding Damian. He shook his head and shot Kahlan a look.

"What?" she asked him. "I didn't choose here."

"So someone else has an evil streak like you?" he asked and she could tell he thought that was impossible.

Chuck laughed. "Not as big as Kay's, but yeah."

Hotch shook his head as he climbed out of the front of the SUV. Chuck had sent his Jeep back with Cameron to get it cleaned. They walked to the door together and Sai had it opened before they got to it. "Nice to see you again, Agent Hotchner. We were all deeply disturbed to find out about what Damian had done."

Hotch nodded as he stopped in front of him. "How has he been?"

Sai looked back towards the room where Damian was being held and then looked at Kahlan. "Quiet," is all he said.

Kahlan eyed him warily but motioned for him to show the way. Hotch followed him, then Kahlan, and Chuck brought up the rear. Kahlan noticed Chuck put his pistol on his belt and nodded at him. She knew Chuck would stop Damian from saying too much if it came down to it, too.

When Sai opened the door to the room Damian was held in, Hotch grabbed Kahlan's hand. She mentally smiled because she knew Hotch was doing it just to show Damian that she was his. She hoped Damian would see it the threat it was and not get pissed by it. _Nah. He's too stupid to see the threat. I'll piss him off and he'll run his mouth._ Chuck snorted when he saw it and Kahlan could tell he was looking forward to the whole thing.

She studied her husband's face as they walked into the room. She couldn't tell what he was thinking or what he was going to do because Hotch had reverted to his work face. She took a deep breath and forced a smile. If Hotch wanted Damian to see them together, then she would make sure Damian knew how being with Hotch made her happy.

The rest of the squad jumped up when they got into the room. Damian saw them and looked toward the wall. Chuck saw how pale he was and chuckled. Hotch walked up to him slowly still holding Kahlan's hand. He studied the wounded man for a few minutes. "Get up," Hotch told him coldly.

Damian huffed. Sam took a step towards him, but Damian held his hand out to stop him. He licked his lips and started to get up. He had to use the wall and he winced several times as he moved, but he eventually got into a standing position. He kept most of his weight on his good leg and he stared Hotch down.

Kahlan's free hand balled into a fist. _Son of a bitch is defiant to the end._

Hotch stood there staring back, and finally Damian's eyes moved to Hotch's hand still grasping Kahlan's. Hotch smiled. "What? Don't like this?" Hotch asked as he held up Kahlan's hand. Damian's lip curled up on one side, but he didn't say anything. "So I guess you really wouldn't like this then," Hotch started and pulled Kahlan into a kiss. Kahlan almost balked at Hotch acting so out of character, but she let him turn the kiss into one of lust and passion as his tongue slid across her lips begging for entry. She complied and moaned in pleasure as she let Hotch have complete dominance over the kiss as his hand left hers and moved to the small of her back as his other hand went to the back of her head. He pulled her closer to him and deepened the kiss even more.

When he finally pulled away from her, she was breathing heavily. She smiled at him and he looked at Damian. She almost laughed at the cocky look on her husband's face that screamed 'Ha, she's mine, all mine!'

Damian looked at Kahlan and then back to Hotch. Kahlan could tell he was trying to think of something smartass to say and she saw Chuck tense. Damian lifted his chin. "She is a great kisser," he told Hotch with a smile.

_You son of a bitch!_ Kahlan tensed a little and Hotch put his hand on her arm to let her know he had the situation under control. "So you kissed her?" Hotch asked plainly.

"Yeah," Damian answered with a grin.

"What else did you do?" Hotch asked as he raised a brow inquisitively.

Damian smiled wickedly. "A lot more."

"Yeah?" Hotch smiled as he looked at Kahlan and then back to Damian. "She use any of that freaky shit on you?"

Damian's eyes shut and he quivered as he remembered the pleasure she had shown him the day before.

"Yeah. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" Hotch asked him.

Kahlan swallowed hard. It was obvious that Damian knew exactly what Hotch was talking about, and she mentally cringed because she wasn't sure she could convince Hotch that she had only done that to enhance her other techniques. She was about to say something when Damian spoke up.

"She does have amazing hands," Damian told him with a sly grin.

Hotch nodded his agreement with a grin of his own. "She show you what she can do with certain muscles?"

Kahlan shot him a look. She was really starting to hate where the conversation was going, but Hotch chose to ignore her as he looked at Damian.

Damian laughed. "Oh yeah."

"What'd you think of her tattoo?" Hotch asked with another grin. "That damn little dragon surprised the hell out of me the first time I saw it." He chuckled. "Would you say it's dark purple or black?"

Damian smiled. "There's purple in it."

Hotch actually laughed out loud. Kahlan hung her head as she shook it. Damian laughed, too.

Chuck huffed and pulled out his pistol. He couldn't believe the way Hotch was acting, and it was pissing him off to hear him talk about Kay like that with the little asshole. He took a step towards Damian, but Hotch stopped him with a hand on his chest. Chuck pushed him off roughly. "I'm gonna kill him!" Chuck yelled.

"There's no need to," Hotch told him plainly. Chuck was about to argue but Hotch smiled and then looked back to Damian. "You really aren't that smart, are you?"

"Smarter than you!" Damian refuted. "I wanted her, and I got her!"

Hotch smiled again. "You're not even a very good liar. How did you ever make it on the squad?" Damian looked at him confusedly, and Hotch laughed. "I manipulated you so easily." He shook his head. "See, I have to confess that I was worried about what you had done to her while she was under the effects of that scopolamine, but I knew if I asked, you would lie, and I would never really know the truth," he explained as his face lost all traces of amusement and his stare bored into Damian. "She doesn't have a dragon tattoo. You never got the chance to do anything except hold her hand."

Damian looked shocked, and Kahlan laughed.

Chuck looked back and forth between them and then laughed, too, as he finally put his pistol away.

"Did you think it would piss me off enough that I would actually kill you?" Hotch asked him. Damian huffed and looked at the floor. "I wouldn't kill you out right, Damian. Why would I want to put you out of your misery? It's obvious that what Kahlan has done to you has put you in pain. Why would I want to stop that when you deserve every bit of it?"

Hotch turned to his wife. "Is what you've done permanent?"

"Not the pain," is all she offered.

Hotch nodded and appraised Damian again. While he still had no idea what Kahlan had done exactly, he had surmised the possibilities with the Damian had moved and was standing, and he mentally winced at what his imagination brought to his mind's eye. He shook his head to rid himself of the horrible thoughts before his own manhood started aching.

He smiled at Damian again. "I would think that with all of the contacts I have in the Justice system that I can guarantee that you will end up in a maximum security prison for a very long time for the attempted murder of a federal agent," he told him with a smirk. While Hotch was sure the team could make that charge stick, he wasn't sure if there was enough evidence to convict him with everything else. After a few seconds he smiled again. "I can also make sure you get the biggest, baddest, son of a bitch for a cell mate. A pretty boy like you is going to make someone very happy."

Chuck and the squad laughed.

Damian couldn't hide the terror on his face. "No!"

"What?" Hotch asked him. "You don't want to become some guy's bitch?"

Damian swallowed hard. "Please! I'll do anything!"

Hotch ran a hand along his chin as he considered it. "You'll confess to everything you have done in both a recorded and written confession and plead guilty to it all?"

Damian considered it. "If you let them kill me, I will confess to everything," he agreed.

Hotch smiled and turned to the squad. "Get him back to Quantico. The team will handle the confessions."

Jules smiled. "Yes, sir."

Hotch grabbed Kahlan's hand again and started for the door. "Let's go home."

Kahlan smiled, and Chuck jumped in front of them to lead to way.

XXX

Chuck laughed as he pulled into the driveway; three kids and two dogs came running out to greet them before he even had the SUV in park. Joey got to Hotch's door before anyone else could and she opened it quickly. She stepped back to let her father get out and she hugged his legs tightly. Hotch sent Kahlan a smile. She had apparently warned the kids about being careful with their father until he was fully healed. He squatted down and pulled her into a hug. "Daddy missed his little Angel."

Joey hugged his neck tightly. "I missed you more!" she told him and then finally pulled away from him. "You ok?" she asked with concern.

Hotch smiled. "I will be," he assured her and stood up. Jack quickly wrapped his arms around his father gently. "Hey, Buddy," Hotch told him as he hugged him back.

Kahlan smiled as Wyatt pulled her into a hug. When he pulled away, he looked her in the eyes. "Is it really over?"

"Yes," she assured him and reached down and picked Joey up. "How's mommy's Pumpkin?"

Joey giggled. "Good. Aunt Donna's making dinner."

"Yeah?" Hotch asked her as they all walked into the house. "What is she making?"

"Soup and sandwiches, and jello for desert," Donna told him with a smile as she came out of the kitchen. Hotch moaned. Donna pulled him into a gentle hug. "What? That doesn't sound good?"

"It's fine," he told her as he shot Kahlan a look.

Donna laughed as she pulled away from him. "I heard all about it," she told him as she smiled at her sister. Chuck laughed.

"Thanks, Babe," Hotch told Kahlan as they made their way to the family room.

"What? You have to take it easy. We don't want you to have problems," Donna told him with a grin and then went back to the kitchen. "It's almost done."

Hotch shook his head as he watched her go. He looked at Chuck who was still laughing a little. "Shut up, Chuck!"

Everyone laughed. Hotch sat down on the couch with a pout and Kahlan sat down next to him and snuggled up to him. Joey climbed up on her lap and the boys sat down next to them. They spent the next few minutes filling in their parents with what had been going on with school and everything. Once they were done, Wyatt looked at Chuck. "You can call off your buddies now, right?"

Chuck looked shocked. "How did you know my buddies were here?"

Joey sunk down in Kahlan's lap as Wyatt looked at her. He laughed. "Joey saw them and pointed them out to us."

Hotch looked at Joey and shook his head. _She's going be worse than Kahlan._

Joey smiled at him. "What? Can't you feel it when someone's watching you?"

Kahlan laughed and pulled her into a tight hug. "That's my girl!" Everyone laughed.

Donna stepped out of the kitchen and told everyone to get up to the table. They all made their way in, but Hotch was the last one to get there as he sulked. When he finally got there, his mouth watered once he saw what they were actually having.

Donna laughed at him. "Please! I had to fix you a good meal after having to eat hospital food!" she told him as she pulled him the rest of the way and shoved him into his seat. He smiled at her and she grabbed his plate and filled it up with hamburger steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, and a biscuit.

When she sat it down in front of him, he smiled again. "Have I told you how much I love having you for a sister-in-law?"

She patted him on the shoulder and sat down next to her sister. Kahlan gave her a smile, too. They all enjoyed the meal and the company.

XXX

The next day Hotch and Kahlan made their way to the BAU. While he wasn't officially allowed back to work yet, he wanted to go over Damian's confession. He read over it and mentally smiled as he read in great detail everything that Damian had done. Damian looked at him expectantly. "Now that you got that, you have to let them. . ."

"You have to plead guilty to all this in front of the judge first," Hotch cut him off.

Damian shoulders slumped but he nodded weakly. He tried to adjust the way he was sitting, but he couldn't figure out a way that didn't bring him pain. Hotch mentally smiled at his discomfort.

XXX

Two days later, the Virginia Sate District Attorney had Damian in front of the Supreme Court of Virginia and its Chief Justice. The judge read the massive lists of charges and looked at Damian. "And how to you plea to these charges?"

Damian held his head high. "Guilty." He shot a look to Hotch, who was sitting in the back row watching the proceedings. Hotch nodded ever so slightly.

"Then I have no choice. With your confession, guilty plea, and your exercised right to forgo a trial, you are here by sentenced to death and are to be remanded to Red Onion State Prison until that time." Red Onion is Virginia's toughest prison.

The court officers moved in to grab Damian. Damian resisted and looked back at Hotch. "But you said. . ." he started.

Hotch stood up and straightened his suit. He licked his lips and then grinned. "I lied."

"No!" Damian yelled as the guards led him away.

"Tell Butch, I say 'hi' when you meet him," Hotch told him slyly. The look of fear on Damian's face made him chuckle. He watched them lead him away and then turned to leave.

Chuck laughed. "You can be scary sometimes, you know that?" Since Hotch wasn't cleared to drive yet, Chuck had driven him to Richmond.

Hotch quirked his brows at him as he smiled again. "Let's go home."

Chuck laughed some more as they made their way to the parking lot.


	78. Chapter 78

**Chapter 78**

The next day, Kahlan was busy in the laundry room so Joey grabbed Hotch's hand and pulled him outside. "You wanna see Fuzzy, Daddy?"

Hotch smiled. "Sure, Angel."

She giggled and went up the tree as easily as if she was climbing stairs. Hotch chose not to watch her, though, as he watched the boys throwing the football around. She came back down and tugged on his pants. He knelt down and looked at her closed hand. She opened it up slowly and there sat the fattest, little bat Hotch had ever seen. He chuckled as Joey gently stroked its head and back as the bat moved its head in obvious pleasure at the affection. "Smoky and Bugsy let me hold them now, too, but they don't like to come down during the day," she told him proudly.

"How many are up there now?"

"Seven," she told him with a smile.

He shook his head. "It's nice not having as many bugs flying about in the yard. You'll have to make them a warmer house before winter comes."

"You help me?" she asked with puppy dog eyes.

He chuckled. "Anything for you, Angel."

Kahlan yelled out the open kitchen window that it was time for dinner, and Joey quickly covered Fuzzy back up in her hand.

"You better get him back up there before your mother finds out," Hotch told her as he stood back up to go inside.

She nodded, put Fuzzy on her shoulder, and started back up the tree.

Hotch held the door open for the boys and went to the kitchen to see if he could help with anything. Joey came in and went straight to the table. "No you don't," Kahlan started as she fixed her with a look. "Go wash your hands."

Joey pouted but got up and started for the bathroom.

"And wash them twice after playing with that bat!" Kahlan yelled to her.

Hotch and Joey's head snapped to her, and she laughed at the surprised look on their faces. "What? I knew about before you did," she told her husband. Hotch shook his head. "I had to see what she was doing up there. I didn't want her hurting herself or anything else," she continued and then looked at Joey. "And you don't even like green grapes, so it was obvious you were giving them to something!"

Joey shook her head and then went to wash her hands.

Hotch laughed as he stared at Kahlan. She shrugged and went to grab the plates. Hotch went up behind her and kissed her neck. "I guess that's what we get for trying to keep a secret from the secret master."

She laughed as she turned and handed him the plates. "And don't you forget it," she joked.

XXX

The next day, everyone was at Rossi's for their picnic to celebrate the end of the excruciating case. It was a beautiful Sunday and the warehouse group, the squad, Chuck's buddies, Kahlan's family, and all of their other halves enjoyed themselves and the food prepared by Cindi and her daughters.

"I'm telling you," Chuck grinned as he told Cameron and them about the court house. "You should have seen the evil smile on Hotch's face!"

Cam and Morgan shared a look. "I think he might be spending too much time with Kay," Cam suggested.

Morgan laughed. "Nah, man, Hotch has always been scary in interrogations and courtrooms," he insisted.

"But I got the grin from her," Hotch told him as he stepped up behind him.

Morgan startled as soon as he heard him because he hadn't realized anyone was behind him. They all laughed. "Jesus Christ, Hotch!" He shook his head at his boss. "Yeah, he's definitely spending too much time with Kahlan," he told them as he shook his head some more, and they laughed again.

Hotch chuckled and then went to his wife. He went up behind her and kissed her on the neck. She giggled and gave him a smile. He looked at the empty plate in her hands. "How many pieces did you eat?"

She shot him a hurt look. "Just two," she admitted knowing he was talking about her mother's chicken.

He laughed. "And how many did you put in a bag to take home?"

She looked away from him. "I'm not telling."

He laughed some more. "Oh no," Hotch started as he looked at Sam looking at Mack.

Kahlan saw what had his attention and shook her head at him. "What? Sam's a good guy," Kahlan defended him.

"Yeah, if she wants to attach herself to a guy who will disappear every time she turns around and has so many secrets that she'll never know everything about him."

Kahlan huffed. "Hasn't stopped you from loving me."

He shook his head. "You aren't still going on missions."

Kahlan smiled at him and then went to the young man. As she approached, Sam looked away from Mack and looked at Kahlan sheepishly apparently feeling a little awkward at being caught staring at Mack. Kahlan smiled warmly at him. "You know, there is an opening in DC for a SWAT Commander." Sam looked at her questioningly and she laughed. "Just saying."

"Think it would do me any good? I'm not sure I'm good enough for her."

"That tells me you are," Kahlan told him with a smile. "Have you told her you like her?"

He balked. "No. I don't know how," he admitted weakly as he looked at her again.

Kahlan smiled again. "You have her number?"

"Yeah."

"Send her a song. Women love that."

"A song?" he asked as he considered it. "What kind of music does she like?"

"Doesn't matter. You find a song that tells her how you feel, and she'll love it. I guarantee it."

He smiled. "Thanks, Mrs. Hotchner."

She turned a stern look to him and he backed up a step. "You call me that again, and I'll hit you."

"Sorry," he told her as he ducked his head a little.

She laughed and went to join her kids. Sai was showing them tricks with a Diabolo. Kahlan winced as Wyatt gave it a try and failed miserably. Jack tried, and while he wasn't as bad as Wyatt, he still couldn't do it. Joey greedily grabbed the Chinese yoyo and gave it a whirl. Kahlan laughed at all of their shocked looks as Joey spun the thing around as if she had been playing with one for years. Kahlan walked up and smiled proudly at her daughter.

"Can you do that?" Wyatt asked his mother quickly.

She shook her head. "Never tried, but I probably couldn't do it any better than you." His look told her that he didn't believe her. Joey held it out to her. "No thanks. I don't want my daughter showing me up." Joey giggled and Kahlan turned to Sai. "I bet you could show Jack some of your parkour tricks and he'd be able to do them. He's quite a good skater."

Sai smiled. "I would love to," he told her and took a run at the nearest tree. He ran up the side of it and flipped backwards. He landed on his feet with a smile to Jack.

"Dude! That was awesome!" Jack exclaimed as he ran up to him and had him explain how to do it. Joey quickly joined them.

Wyatt's shoulder's slumped and Kahlan put an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry about it, Wyatt. You're not built like them, so your talents lay elsewhere." He looked at her questioningly. "You want someone to teach you how to do something cool that they can't do?" He smiled. "Go talk to Chuck or Sam. I'm sure they have a few tricks up their sleeves."

"You think I could look like Sam when I'm older?" he asked her.

"If you want to get that big, sure, but you'll be built like Chuck naturally, I think." He nodded as he looked at Chuck. "Just remember," she started as she moved his chin to make him look her in the eyes. "The most important muscle is the one in here," she told him seriously as she put a finger to his forehead.

He smiled and moved her hand away. "I know, Mom," he assured her and went to Chuck.

Hotch came up behind her and laughed at Jack. He had tried to do the flip and almost landed on his back. He was glad Sai caught him before he hurt himself. "Are you training our children to be the future squad?" he joked.

She leaned her back against his chest and laughed as Joey did it effortlessly. "Maybe," she told him with a smile.

He shook his head at her and then Rossi called him over. He left Kahlan as she still watched the kids. _Jack could be the leader, Wyatt could be the muscle, and Joey. . . well, she could be Sai._

XXX

Later, Kahlan and Hotch relaxed on an outdoor loveseat. They were busy talking with Reid and Amy. All of the kids were busy having a water balloon fight in the yard. Cindi was holding Jesse and Vinnie was holding Matty as JJ enjoyed a piece of lemon meringue pie. Jack suddenly ran across the patio in between the adults as Wyatt chased him with a massive balloon. Kahlan looked up quickly as Wyatt unleashed it in a powerful throw. She jumped out of her seat a split second before it hit Hotch square in the chest.

"Wyatt!" Hotch yelled as he stood up, soaked.

"Ut-oh!" Wyatt yelled and ran the other direction. Everyone had stopped talking and focused on Hotch. Most of them laughed.

Rossi jumped up. "I'll go get you a towel," he told him and started for the house.

"Get me a shirt, too," Hotch told him as he peeled off the soaked one.

Almost every mouth hung open as they watched Hotch take off the shirt. Kahlan slowly smiled as she looked at everyone looking at Hotch. He used the back of the shirt to dry his face off and finally noticed everyone staring at him. He blushed a little at the attention. "What?" he asked quickly.

Most everyone murmured 'nothing' and went back to their conversations. Kahlan noticed Jules and Bee still looking at Hotch a little too closely, though, and the alpha in her growled. She quickly went and put a hand around his waist as she shot the young women a look, and they quickly turned away.

Rossi came back with a towel and a shirt, but he almost tripped over his own feet at seeing Hotch shirtless. Hotch shook his head in embarrassment. He had already told Dave about what Kahlan had done, but Dave hadn't seen the results yet. Rossi appraised him and then gave him the shirt. As Hotch put it on, Rossi's eyes watered a little and he turned away quickly. To see Hotch more comfortable with his own body made the father in him proud and a little sentimental.

XXX

Morgan walked up to Bee and Sam. "Alright. I have to know, how much money do you all make?"

They looked at him questioningly. "Probably a hell of a lot less than you do," Bee started with a smile. "We don't do it for the money." Sam nodded his agreement.

Morgan ran a hand over his head as he looked at Kahlan, Chuck, and Cam talking to Sai.

Sam saw who he was looking at. "Ohhhh," he started and then chuckled. "You're wondering why they have money."

Morgan looked at him and smiled. "Yeah."

Sam stepped closer to him. "You apparently haven't heard that story, huh?"

Morgan shook his head as he looked at him expecting him to go on.

Bee smiled and leaned in close. "There was a Sheik in Saudi. His mansion was attacked and his whole family was being held hostage."

"And he hired those three to get his family and home back safely," Sam continued the story. "He gave them a big reward for doing it, and while I've heard different amounts, they were all in the millions."

"He paid them a million dollars to save his family?" Morgan asked and they could see the shock on his face.

"I heard five million," Bee told him seriously. "Each."

Morgan shook his head slowly. "Just to save his family from some idiots."

"It was a whole platoon of rival forces. I heard that they took out over forty people that night, and they were highly trained military men not just some guys carrying guns," Sam told him proudly. Morgan could hear the awe in his voice. "And not one of the Sheik's family was harmed."

"The man had billions from oil. What did it hurt him to pay fifteen million?"

"Jesus Christ!" Morgan exclaimed as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Yeah. I would love an opportunity like that to present itself," Bee told him with a smile.

Kahlan cut her eyes to them, and Sam choked on his own breath. "Damn, does she know we're talking about her?"

Bee laughed. "I wouldn't doubt it. Don't tell her we told you."

Morgan nodded. "When did that happen?"

"In 1997, if I'm remembering correctly," Sam told him and then saw Reid walk away from Mack. He smiled at Morgan and then made his way over to her. Bee giggled as she watched him leave.

XXX

Kahlan and Chuck walked up on Rossi telling the boys about his escapade in the Skyline. Hotch shook his head as he remembered the ride unfavorably. "Think Jules would give us a ride in it?" Jack asked excitedly.

Kahlan turned to Chuck. "You ought to let Dave drive the Ferrari."

They all turned and looked at them; they were stunned into silence. Chuck got a horrified look on his face as he looked at them and then looked back to Kahlan. He shook his head and looked back at the guys. "I don't know what she's talking about."

Rossi got up and advanced on him. "Ut-uh. Out with it!"

Chuck shot Kahlan a look that said he wanted to kill her.

"He has a black, 1995, Ferrari F50 in a garage outside of town," Kahlan told them flatly.

Rossi looked at her. "You're serious?"

She smiled. "Yep. When he can, he drives it at least once a week to keep everything running well."

"You have a Ferrari and you didn't tell me?" Rossi asked him.

He looked at Rossi and the boys, and they all wore looks of betrayal. His shoulders slumped. "Fine! Yes, I own a Ferrari, and I guess that I will have to let you all take a ride in it, now," he said with a look to Kahlan.

Wyatt and Jack slapped high-five, but Rossi shook his head. "I don't want a ride. . ."

Chuck took a deep breath. "I'll let you drive it. After seeing you in that Skyline, I think you might actually be able to drive her as well as me," he told Rossi with a smile.

Rossi grinned at the challenge. "Probably even better."

Hotch laughed at them. "I know I don't want a ride in it," he told them honestly.

Kahlan shook her head at him.

"What are you shaking your head about? You bought a Bugatti," Chuck told her defiantly.

All of the males looked at her with even more shock than they did with Chuck. She backed up a step under all or their accusing looks. "I don't still have it!" she told them quickly and she could see the disappointment in the boys' and Rossi's faces. "I bought that when I was young and wild, and I've never bought anything like it since actually growing older!" she told them defensively with a look to Chuck.

"Really? You owned a Bugatti? What color was it?" Wyatt asked her quickly.

She smiled. "Dark red."

"Aren't those damn things like. . ." Hotch didn't finish the thought out loud. He had been shocked to hear Chuck had a car that probably cost around $500,000, but to hear that Kahlan had bought a car that probably cost well over a million was just too much to fathom.

"You used to own a Bugatti and the last car you bought was a Chevy Sonic?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Hey! I like my car!" Kahlan told him defensively.

Hotch shook his head as he went to her a pulled her into a hug. "Leave your mother and her little car alone!" he told them.

They all shook their heads and moved their attention back to Chuck and his Ferrari.

Hotch smiled because he could actually imagine Kahlan driving the expensive sports car. "You'll never cease to amaze me," he told her as he put his hands on her waist.

She shook her head. "That was a long time ago."

He laughed and pulled her closer. "Do you miss having a car like that?"

"Not even a little," she admitted and then her head snapped to the patio. A new song had just started on the speakers. She chuckled and pulled out of Hotch's hands. Hotch watched her go to the patio and grab Donna's and Garcia's hands and pulled them up to dance with her. By the time the first line of 'We Are Family' was sung, she had all of the girls up and dancing. Hotch laughed as Kahlan sang along to the song about sisters.

Rossi came up behind him and put his hand on Hotch's shoulder. He laughed, too, as Kahlan pulled her mother up with them. "With a family like that, life can't get any more perfect!"

Hotch smiled at him and then looked back to his wife. He sighed contently. _My thoughts exactly!_

**The End**

Don't fret. I will be posting a mini-story to cover the vacation starting tomorrow! Hopefully you have me favorited so you will get the alert for it.

*You should also go to the webpage. Fuzzy is now there, and I changed the kids' pics so I can actually show them as they grow, too. Just saying.

**If you don't know what a Diabolo is, just Youtube: 'AZO Showreel 2012'. That will show you the guy that inspired my character, Sai, and the Diabolo as well as other awesome things that will probably come up in later stories.

***Thanks for reading and leave a review to tell what you thought of it if you haven't yet! The next full story is already in the developmental stages, but I would love to see any ideas/suggestions that you might have of what you would like to see this wonderful group of people to do/go through.


End file.
